"On Friday morning a Moscow police detail comprising three people was patrolling the area near the Khimki bridge, when they suddenly noticed a man drowning in icy water and called emergencies ministry rescuers," the Russian capital city police said.
A passer-by went to help rescue the man but he slipped and also fell through the ice.
An Emergency Situations Ministry rescuer, who arrived at the scene at the same time, started rescue efforts, but he also fell in making the total number of people trapped in the ice three.
The policemen started rescue attempts of all three people, but a stray dog attacked one of them and bit him.
"Despite the pain, the police sergeant major and his colleagues managed to save everyone using a rope," police said.
The 70-year-old pensioner, who was the first to fall through the ice and started the bizarre rescue saga, was taken to a hospital.