Back To The Bottom Of Baikal

The Mir-1 and Mir-2 submersibles on Lake Baikal (file photo)

Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin has become the latest high-profile tourist to visit the bottom of Russia's Lake Baikal.

Putin did it last year.

And Mongolia's president did it last month (report with video)

The exploratory dives come against a backdrop of trouble for beleaguered Baikal. The UN is considering scratching this unique ecosystem off its World Heritage list because of waste from a contentious pulp and paper mill.

-- Central Newsroom