MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's...

The Akademik Fedorov research vessel carrying two mini-submarines to dive 4,200 meters (14,000 feet) below the Pole is trailing a nuclear icebreaker and is set to reach its destination at between 4 and 8 p.m. Moscow time (1-4 p.m. GMT), Russia's Arctic Institute said.

"Favorable weather conditions are expected in the area: weak winds and visibility of up to 20 kilometers [12 miles]," the institute said.

The first-ever dive below the Pole is set to gather scientific data and is seen as a publicity stunt designed to prop up Russia's claim to 1.2 million sq kilometers (about 460,000 sq miles) of the territory - the underwater Lomonosov and Mendeleyev Ridges - which Russia says is the continuation of its continental shelf.

The United States' geological survey data suggest the Arctic seabed contains up to 25% of the world's oil and natural gas reserves, and other mineral riches.

Researchers in the mini-submarines Mir 1 and Mir 2 will take soil

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