Siberia

What are the implications of the massive thaw that is taking place right now in Western Siberia?
Russian researchers returned from an exploratory mission in Western Siberia last year to report that the world’s largest frozen peat bog there, land as large as France and Germany combined, was quickly melting away "into shallow lakes."

Eclipse-chasers Flock to Western Siberia
Thousands of eclipse-watchers from all over the world were today gathering in Russia's Siberian city of Novosibirsk ahead of a rare total eclipse of the sun tomorrow

Thousands Go to Siberia to Watch Eclipse
Amateur and professional astronomers gather to see the moon passing between the Earth and the sun

Protester Killed in 'neo-nazi' Attack on Eco-camp
One eco-activist was killed and five others were seriously injured at the weekend when a gang of young men shouting nationalist slogans attacked an environmentalists' protest camp near to a Siberian nuclear processing plant.

New Fears of State Takeover of Bp Gas Field
Vladimir Putin turned up the pressure on Britain's biggest company yesterday saying it was intolerable that BP and its local partners were "doing nothing" to meet their obligations by fully developing Kovykta, a huge gas field in Siberia.

Siberian Mine Deaths Rise to 105
A British consultant is feared to be among the 97 victims of Russia's worst mining accident in a decade, it was reported today.

Siberian Gas Explosion Kills at Least 71 Miners
At least 71 miners died in a methane gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine yesterday, the latest in a series of such deadly accidents in Russia.

Yukos for Sale - Foreigners Need Not Apply
The bankrupt Russian oil company Yukos, whose former owner is in a Siberian prison, is to be sold off next month in the first in a series of bargain basement auctions.

Orange Snow Causes Concern in Siberia
There is nothing unusual about snow in the towns and endless forests of Siberia. But when locals in the small village of Pudinskoye woke up on Wednesday they immediately noticed something rather strange: the snow falling from the sky was orange.

The Permafrost Factor - End of the World Scenario Revisited
40,000 years ago during the commencement of the ice age, the area of Western Siberia (and Alaska) permafrosted...producing a sort of flash frozen soil and the potential consequences for our world could be disasterous.

Siberian Thaw to Speed Up Global Warming
The release of trapped greenhouse gases is pushing the world past the point of no return on climate change.

China Buys £1.6bn Siberian Oil Field
China's state oil company has bought a £1.6bn Siberian oil field from TNK-BP, sealing access to Russia's huge energy reserves for the fuel-hungry Asian economy.

Author on Slow Train to Adulation Across Siberia
Crowds invade stations as Coelho's journey strikes a chord with Russians.

Priest Sacked After Backing Khodorkovsky
A Siberian priest who gave spiritual support to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia's erstwhile richest man turned its highest profile inmate, has been sacked for 'dragging his parish into politics'.

Siberian Bus Rides – Getting Funky With Your Bad Self
Siberia gets so cold in the winter you have to take buses if you hope to get anywhere. Do so and you'll quickly learn how to get funky with your bad self.

Former Tycoon Takes Swipe at Kremlin From Jail in Siberia
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man and now the nation's highest-profile prisoner, yesterday spoke out for the first time from the Siberian penal colony where he is held, accusing the Kremlin of trying to "destroy him physically".

Welcome to Penal Colony Yag 14/10. Now the Home of One of Russia's Richest Men
Billionaire gets six years in Siberia Border region.

Halloween In Siberia – Sort Of
Russians love a good holiday. But Halloween?

Billionaire Jailed for Fraud Sent to Siberian Colony
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, will serve the remaining eight years of his jail sentence for fraud at a prison colony in the impoverished Siberian region of Chita.

Siberia, Russia, Part 9 - Chita At Last
After seven long days, the trip was finally coming to an end. Chita. Siberia. Russia!

Siberia, Russia, Part 8 - The Slow Train
My three day trip to Siberia was turning into a seven day trip. At least I could try some authentic Russian food on the train. Perhaps not.

Siberia, Russia, Part 7 - The Trans-Siberian Railway
The famous Trans-Siberian Railway! Wide open spaces, forests, rivers and who knows what.

Siberia, Russia Part 6 - When Stairs Attack
Lots of luggage. Rain. A Russian train station. Let the fireworks begin.

Siberia, Russia Part 5 - Khabarovsk and a Little Russian
Russian at last. Time to learn a little of the language. How hard could it be? Don't ask.

Siberia, Russia Part 4 - Airport Follies and a Stern Lecture
After the best international flight I've ever taken, it was time for customs. Russian customs. Oh, my.

Siberia, Russia Part 3 - Communist Planes and Defining Fluent
Friends frowned when I mentioned I was flying Aeroflot to Russia. It turns out there was reason to smile.

Siberia, Russia Part 2 - Where Are We and What Day Is It?
Having decided to move to Siberia, it was time to actually travel. In a couple days I would be there...or maybe not.

Siberia, Russia Part 1 - Here I Come!
I was in a rut living in San Diego. A definite change was needed. Why not move to Siberia for a year?

Russian Bird Flu Heads West
Russia's bird flu epidemic continued westwards following an outbreak of the disease in Siberia in mid-July, raising fears yesterday that it could spread across Europe.

Warming Hits 'tipping Point'
Siberia feels the heat It's a frozen peat bog the size of France and Germany combined, contains billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas and, for the first time since the ice age, it is melting.

19 die in Siberian shop blaze
At least 19 people died yesterday when flames tore through a shop in the remote Siberian town of Ukhta. Another 17 people were injured, five of them seriously.

Shrinking Lakes of Siberia Blamed on Global Warming
Lakes in two large swaths of Siberia are shrinking in size and 125 of them have disappeared altogether, a US study reveals.

Huge Rise in Siberian Forest Fires Puts Planet at Risk, Scientists Warn
Fires in the Siberian forests - the largest in the world and vital to the planet's health - have increased tenfold in the last 20 years and could again rage out of control this summer, Russian scientists warn.

Russia to relocate 600,000 from frozen north
Up to 600,000 Russians are to be moved from remote parts of Siberia and the Arctic, officials in Moscow announced yesterday. The move will be one of the biggest population relocations since the Stalin era.

Siberian school fire kills 23
Twenty-two students and their teacher were burned to death yesterday in their old wooden school building in the Siberian republic of Yakutia.

Eight on trial in Estonia for Stalin-era crimes
Eight pensioners have gone on trial in Estonia for mass crimes against "enemies of the state" dating back to Stalin's purges. They are accused of organising the deportation of more than 400 people to the Siberian gulag in 1949.

For Siberia, a Return to Wasteland
Population drains away as brutal project to colonise frozen wilderness is reversed.

Jesus of Siberia
Sergei Torop was a traffic cop in the small Russian town of Minusinsk until 1989, when he announced that he was the son of God. Now he commands a following of thousands and rules over a large swath of the Siberian mountains. Ian Traynor makes a pilgrimage.