Polar explorers told Zelenskyy how they were getting closer to victory
President Volodymyr Zelenskyyy held a meeting via video link with the participants of the 27th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition, who set off for the Akademik Vernadskyi station in March 2022.
Source: The President's website
Details: The meeting took place on the 160th anniversary of the birth of the first president of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Volodymyr Vernadskyi, in whose honour the Ukrainian Antarctic station was named.
Zelenskyy emphasised that the polar explorers' steps towards the development of science brought Ukraine's victory closer.
The head of the expedition Yurii Otruba noted that polar explorers try to contribute to Ukraine's struggle for independence and future, even from a distance. They appealed to the scientific community with the demand to stop any projects with Russia. On Sunday, another relevant appeal was sent to all polar stations.
In addition, Antarctic auctions were held where products of polar explorers, chevrons, etc., were sold to raise funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine and charity tours of the station. A separate project supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine was the "Invincibility Postcard" campaign, within which a set of photos from Antarctica is sent to contribute to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukrainian polar explorers also organised the first art and educational project in Antarctica - the "Home. Memories" art installation. This year, signs with facts about Ukraine and the station and symbolic objects such as a lump of black earth or a fragment of a vyshyvanka were placed around the building.
The National Antarctic Science Center Director Yevhen Dykyi noted that 14 people wintered at the station this year. At the same time, 14 polar explorers are fighting in the Armed Forces' ranks, and most are on the front lines. They were wounded, in particular in the battles for Bakhmut.
The deputy director of the National Antarctic Scientific Center, Viacheslav Marchenko, who currently defends Ukraine in the Armed Forces ranks, also participated in the meeting.
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