Vladimir Lenin News

The nuclear icebreaker Lenin, the pride and joy of the Soviet Union's Arctic great game, lies at perpetual anchor in the frigid water here. A relic of the Cold War, it is now a museum. But nearly three decades after the Lenin was taken out of service to be turned into a visitor attraction, Russia is again on the march in the Arctic and building new nuclear icebreakers. It is part of a push to firm Moscow's hand in the High North as it vies for dominance with traditional rivals Canada, the United States, and Norway as well as newcomer China.

Russian warplanes bombed an 80-km (50 mile) wide river ice floe on Thursday in an attempt to unblock a build-up of meltwater which has forced thousands of people from flooded homes in eastern Siberia, the Emergencies Ministry said. But spokeswoman Marina Ryklina said the water level remained critically high around the town of Lensk. Helicopters were still evacuating residents and delivering vital supplies to remote settlements along the Lena river. "Fighter planes have dropped another six bombs on the ice blockage, but the water level has not fallen," Ryklina said. "They've got generators to keep the hospitals running and there have not been any casualties. But the situation is bad, it is worrying," she said.