A rare view of Russia's floating nuclear power station
Politicians and scientists from around the world are gathering in the Russian capital, Moscow, to discuss the future of the Arctic.
There are fears the Arctic could become the next global battleground as countries race for control of the huge reserves of oil and gas thought to lie under the Arctic Sea.
Of all the countries bordering the Arctic, it is Russia which is now pushing hardest to dominate what it regards as its own backyard.
Moscow correspondent Richard Galpin went to St Petersburg to look at the kind of specialised equipment Russia is already building to make it possible to operate in the extreme Arctic conditions.