the russian coal-mining region of kemerovo said in a statement on its website that footprints and possibly even hair samples belonging to the yeti were found on the research trip to its remote mountains.
"during the expedition to the azasskaya cave conference participants gathered indisputable proof that the shoria mountains are inhabited by the snow man" the kemerovo region administration said.
the expedition was organised after kemerovos governor invited researchers from the united states canada and several other countries to share their research and stories of encounters with the creature at a conference.
"they found his footprints his supposed bed and various markers with which the yeti marks his territory" the statement said. the collected "artifacts" will be analysed in a special laboratory it said.
yetis or abominable snowmen are hairy ape-like creatures of popular myth that are generally held to inhabit the himalayas.