In the southern Russian city of Orenburg, the River Ural has burst its banks, inundating thousands of homes, after heavy rain and melting ice swelled rivers across the region and in neighbouring Kazakhstan. Vast swathes of the city remain covered in muddy brown water, piling misery on its residents. "I saved every penny, I denied myself everything, I tried for the sake of the house. And now it's all flooded - it's a nightmare," 56-year-old medical worker Lyudmila Borodina tells AFP. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES