'All forest wildfires extinguished' in Siberian Federal District, say officials, but peat flames still raging.

TNK-BP, a Russian-British company, is under fire concerning 784 environmental accidents reported in 2011, compared with 20 by rival Lukoil.

Irkutsk officials say supplies to major city could run out but Russian government says more analysis of environmental impact needed.

But is climate change to blame, or local officials who went on vacation instead of fighting fires?

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.

Now the prickly rodent lives no closer than 2,000 kilometres away, but its remains - recently dated - are scattered in caves of the Altai Mountains.

Part of Vasyugan Mire - the largest bog in the world - is to become a natural reserve this year, say reports.

Krasnoyarsk's skies have been black since the start of the New Year, with locals complaining of 'chemical smell', lack of oxygen.

Unique pieces of skin from the late Jurassic era dinosaurs has been uncovered in a natural 'time capsule' by scientists in the Trans-Baikal region.