On March 11, the 29th Ukrainian Antarctic expedition left Kyiv aiming to the Akademik Vernadskyi station, the National Antarctic Center reports.
This team is supposed to replace the previous team, who has been working at the “Akademik Vernadskyi” station for almost a year.
“This is already the third rotation of winter workers that we have conducted during the full-scale war. Finding professionals for annual expeditions is increasingly difficult, because many polar explorers or ideal candidates are at the front. We already have several cases when, during the selection process, potential winterers became military personnel. But despite all the difficulties, we cannot stop the Antarctic program,” said the director of the National Center for Scientific Research Yevhen Dykiy.
There are 14 participants in the 29th UAE, who were selected at an open competition. Among them are 9 scientists (3 each of biologists, meteorologists and geophysicists) and 5 representatives of the life support team (doctor, cook, system administrator, system mechanic, diesel electrician).
For the first time for the last 27 years, 4 women will work in the expedition (previously there were so many female polar explorers only in the second UAE (1997-1998). It is noteworthy that one of the participants, geophysicist Anna Soina, went for her second wintering (previously she was in the 25th UAE 2020-2021).
The 29th UAE team can be viewed on the link.
Most of the team are newcomers (ten people), but they will be led by one of the most experienced polar explorers in Ukraine, geophysicist Yurii Otruba. This will be his eighth wintering.