Very special midwinter greeting to all involved in Antarctica, irrespective of which hemisphere you currently reside.
On behalf of the whole staff of the National Antarctic Scientific Center we would like to extend our greetings to the team of the 29th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition working at Vernadsky station at this time as well as to all foreign Polar explorers who once chose the path of exploration of the icy continent, on the Midwinter Day of 2024. Our special congratulations go to the “fighting penguins” – polar explorers who replaced Antarctic research by the defense of the state. We are very grateful to you for this!
What is the Midwinter Day about? Why is it important?
This holiday is about endurance, because conducting research throughout the polar night in a closed team requires patience and resilience.
This holiday is about determination, because without it you can easily lose the point of spending a year of your life in Antarctica.
This is a holiday about the confidence that any deep night comes to an end and a clear day begins, you just need to have the strength and inspiration to wait for it. And wait not being inactive, but continuing step by step to do what depends on you.
Our polar explorers and “fighting penguins” have all these traits, and each of us needs to have all these traits now.
We are proud of the Ukrainian explorers of Antarctica and wish them strength and inspiration, health, and, of course, Victory to all of us. We hope that soon the “fighting penguins” will return to Antarctic science again, and the next rotation of expeditions will take place in peaceful Ukraine!