What happens to an engine during a cold start in sub-zero temperatures?

I've read that in the olden days (which were even before the days of yore), Russian truck drivers had no antifreeze so they would drain the engines each night, then fill them in the morning with hot water. I then assumed, on my own, that the hot water was heated each morning by the truck driver's sister who was a 5 foot tall, 98 lbs. 20 year old who could crack walnuts with her mshka and wore only a size 00 French maid outfit.