In summer 2006, Jonathan Dimbleby sets out on the first leg of something of an epic two year journey. He will travel across Russia from the far West to the Far East visiting great cities, struggling over mountain passes, gliding up the Volga, riding the Trans Siberian Express and sledging across the arctic ice. In the process Jonathan will cross 10 time zones and experience the extremes of climate - from 40 degrees below to 40 degrees above zero. In the process, he will meet a huge range of people as he explores this vast and still mysterious nation. "Jonathan Dimbleby's Russia" - to accompany a major BBC series - will take us on a journey from the Barents Sea, where it starts, to the Bering Straights, where it finishes - covering some 10,000 miles without crossing any other national frontier.