Free Republic

BAIKAL, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made a dive to the bottom of the world's deepest lake, Baikal, in the Mir-1 mini-submarine. Putin, clad in overalls for a 4-hour plunge, spoke to journalists on a radio linkup from the deepest point of the lake's southern part 1,395 meters below the surface, saying he was surprised that the water was not transparent and calling it "a plankton soup." In his Saturday's dive, the premier, who on Friday set up a satellite transmitter on a white whale during a visit to Russia's Far East Khabarovsk Territory,...

Last year appeared to be turning for oil&gas industry of Russia – construction of the export pipeline towards the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region was commenced at last. At that all the country witnessed how easy the pipeline route was carried 40km, which later transformed into 400km, from the original one. The far-reaching decision was made at the meeting held in Tomsk on 26th of April: that is when Russian president declared the Eastern pipeline must go beyond the water supply protective zone of the Baikal, as the lake, which is the world biggest fresh water reservoir, is 800 metres...

MOSCOW, March 19 (Reuters) - French adventurer Nicolas Vanier drove his team of dogs on to Moscow's Red Square on Sunday at the end of an 8,000-km (5,000-mile) odyssey through the world's biggest country. He said the hardest part was not the freezing Siberian wilderness, but early spring weather in the last few days, which melted the snow and forced him to fit wheels to his sled to reach Moscow. Vanier's journey, from Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia to Moscow, was the equivalent of travelling just under a quarter of the distance around the globe. It took place in temperatures...