Workers test a gas drilling facility in Russia's arctic region. In 1979, an explosion in one of the wells caused an uncontrolled gas fountain, with the condensate polluting huge areas of the tundra around. In 1981, the Soviets tried to collapse the field with an underground nuclear explosion. The explosion went wrong, causing even more damage and pollution. After that the field was closed and the area marked a nature reserve. ..Recently, more gas was found in the area. In 2007, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree demarkating the area from the nature reserve so that drilling work can resume. Environmentalists condemn this, saying the project too prone to further accidents in a delicate environment.
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