The 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition has started: today, March 8, 2025, its participants left Kyiv for the Akademik Vernadsky station.
They will travel by bus to Poland, and then by plane to South America. Then, on board our ice-class vessel Noosfera, they will sail to Antarctica through the world’s stormiest Drake Passage.
At Vernadsky, the 30th UAE is to replace the previous annual expedition and operate until April 2026
“It is symbolic that the team begins its journey on International Women’s Day, because in the 30th UAE, as in the previous 29th, a record number of women – four
“It is symbolic that the team starts its journey on International Women’s Day, since in the 30th UAE, as in the previous 29th UAE, there is a record number of women – four. Moreover, this expedition is a jubilee one, and next year the station will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its transfer to Ukraine from Great Britain. We are proud that, despite all the difficulties and a full-scale war, we continue to participate in world science,” noted Evgen Dykyi, director of the National Antarctic Scientific Center.
The 30th UAE has 13 participants: 8 scientists, a doctor, a cook, a system administrator, a system mechanic, and a diesel electrician (we published the list of names earlier).
They will conduct geophysical, meteorological, and biological research, as well as maintain the station’s infrastructure.
The team is led by an experienced polar explorer and meteorologist Olexander Poluden. This will be his sixth wintering in Antarctica.
Before leaving, the expedition took a traditional photo near the monument to Mykhailo Hrushevsky, even though it is now surrounded by a protective construction.
We wish our polar explorers a safe journey, easy takeoffs and soft landings, and a calm Drake passage. We hope that in a year they will return to a peaceful independent Ukraine.
And, of course, we are looking forward to coming back home of the 29th UAE participants.
Photo: Ruslan Syngaievskyi
