Ecology groups warn that the extent of fires in forests and taiga has been misreported by up to 159 times compared with satellite evidence of the grim facts.

Fresh water supply crisis looms in parts of Siberia as critics accuse hydroelectric firm of 'excessive drainage' from lake.

Environmentalists call for World Bank to halt funding for projects that could alter flow of rivers leading into lake with water nearing critical low.

Or is it too expensive to put the environment before the need for energy?

A renaissance of one of Siberia's first outposts as the Far North becomes the new economic frontier.

Greenpeace claim authorities underestimate the scale of destruction, amid warnings of lack of resources to fight fires. 

Huge damage wrought by forest fires is sparked by failure to apply safety laws, complained Yuri Chaika.

Brown coal in disused Soviet deposit burning at a temperature as high as 600C.

New shipping link symbolises developing Arctic economy which can avoid eco-damage, says Putin.