It's clear that life with polar bears is a sensitive issue for locals. Yuri emotionally recounts his most frightening conflict with a polar bear.

“I used to see bears quite often. Once I even ran into one face-to-face while fishing. He appeared from around the corner and we met nose-to-nose. I yelled and hid, while my friend stormed out with a gun and shot into the air. Well, long story short, the bear was just as terrified as I was!”

“Usually, bears are too timid to attack. Nenets say that just lighting a match can frighten them away. I didn’t try it personally – to hell with that! It is still a predator, big and wild.”

Yuri’s story is interrupted by a call from a friend reporting a possible bear near the airport.

He is skeptical: it's too early for the bears to be migrating, and this year has been quiet so far. He’s only seen a couple bears, nothing compared to the "invasion" of three years ago.

But we must check it out. We jump on Yuri’s ATV – purchased with funds from WWF and Exness - and head for Amderma’s main road.