In what is thought to be another show of Moscow's resurgent ambitions, Russian explorers jumped into the world's deepest lake, Baikal in Siberia.
Led by Arthur Chilingarov, a scientist who was also a part of an earlier mission to the North Pole in a region where vast resources of Oil and Natural gas thrive, the mission took the divers into the very depths of Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, which is tucked away in the remote hills of south-east Siberia.
A report by Reuters stated:
The mission's twin submersibles -- used last year to plant a Russian flag on the North Pole seabed -- slipped into the choppy waters just after dawn and descended 1,680 metres (5,510 feet) to the lake's deepest point, setting a world record for freshwater submersion.
Each of the bright-red Mir-1 and Mir-2 craft carried three scientists. Chilingarov was with reporters who watched from a mission-control point on a nearby platform.
Russian officials hailed the five-hour expedition, due to take seabed samples and document Baikal's unique flora and fauna, as a new chapter in Russian science.
Lake Baikal reportedly contains over 20 per cent of the world's total unfrozen freshwater.
The earlier mission to the North Pole, was slammed by Canada who at the time, accused Moscow of behaving like a 15th Century explorer.
Clearly the Russians have stood up to the challenge with this fabulous record.
