These images show Russian women getting into the Saint Valentine’s spirit after carving an icy heart into a heart-shaped pond and later leaping in for a revitalising dunk.

The romantic gesture was filmed in the village of Leninsk near the city of Miass in the Russian region of Chelyabinsk Oblast, and the video was shared on the social network VK by the group ‘Walruses of Miass Leninsk’.

The video, shared on social media on the morning of 14th February to mark Saint Valentine’s Day, was accompanied with the message: “Congratulations to everyone on this holiday!”

Before sharing the romantic images, the group said on VK: “This weekend we will take amazing photos for Valentine’s Day. For those being instructed to dive into the icy hole for the first time, the weather will be clear and warm for us walruses!”

In the footage, a large hole in the snow features an icy heart positioned in a heart-shaped pool of water.

The second video shows four young women and a girl wearing swimsuits while standing in the thick snow in front of the two hearts.

The ‘walruses’ carry out a short dance for the camera before the video ends.

Valentine’s Day came to Russia in the early 1990s after the fall of communism and is a relatively new holiday. Although it is not observed as a public holiday, it is widely celebrated and remains one of the most popular romantic events in the country.