 The Baikalian Research Centre is an independent research organization carrying out environmental, educational and research projects at Lake Baikal.In July 2008, Russia sent two small submersibles, Mir-1 and Mir-2, to descend to the bottom of Lake Baikal to conduct geological and biological tests on its unique ecosystem.Although originally reported as being successful, they did not set a world record for the deepest freshwater dive, reaching a depth of only .