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Polar bears on Kolyuchin Island, off Russia's far eastern coast, have taken over the ruins of a Soviet-era weather station, drone footage by photographer Vadim Makhorov shows. He counted about 20 bears near the abandoned site, some peering from windows, lounging on porches, and even swiping at his drone, with a bed of walruses nearby. The station was deserted in the 1990s after the Soviet Union fell. The episode recalls past encounters, including a 2016 siege of a Russian Arctic station, and a 2024 fatal attack at a Canadian Arctic radar site.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.