Canadian companies have been playing a leading role in developing mining projects in Russia and other former Soviet republics. Although Russia's large, relatively unexploited gold resources have come under scrutiny recently by media as investors have encountered difficulties with the government, a handful of firms such as Kinross Gold Corporation have taken the plunge—and come out on top. The company's success in the Far East region of Magadan is due in large part to the wide-ranging support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service.