An interactive Python console ignores a coding cookie line too.

$ cat test.py
# -*- coding: koi8-r -*-
print repr('йцук'), 'йцук', repr(u'йцук'), u'йцук'
$ LC_ALL=ru_RU.cp1251 LANG=ru_RU.cp1251 ./python test.py
'\xe9\xf6\xf3\xea' йцук u'\u0418\u0416\u0421\u0419' ИЖСЙ
$ LC_ALL=ru_RU.cp1251 LANG=ru_RU.cp1251 ./python
Python 2.7.4+ (2.7:0f31f38e8a17+, Apr 13 2013, 21:06:36) 
[GCC 4.4.3] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> # -*- coding: koi8-r -*-
... print repr('йцук'), 'йцук', repr(u'йцук'), u'йцук'
'\xe9\xf6\xf3\xea' йцук u'\u0439\u0446\u0443\u043a' йцук

('\xe9\xf6\xf3\xea' is 'йцук' in cp1251 and 'ИЖСЙ' in koi8-r)