He took five bullets and returned to research plankton: an article about Ukrainian polar explorers has appeared in The Guardian
More than 20 participants of Ukrainian Antarctic expeditions have already joined the AFU.
An article about Ukrainian polar explorers during the war has been published in The Guardian. This was reported by the National Antarctic Research Centre.
Recently, the world-famous British newspaper The Guardian published an article with a provocative headline "He 'caught' five bullets and returned to study plankton: the double life of Ukrainian Antarctic scientists", the report said.
The author of the article Jenny Hampton in late February 2024 visited the Ukrainian station "Akademik Vernadsky" and asked polar explorers how they live and work during a full-scale military invasion of the Russian Federation.
According to the journalist, it turned out that the participants of Ukrainian expeditions lead a double life. On the one hand they are exploring Antarctica, and on the other hand they are planning to join or have already joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
A few quotes from the article:
I was on the border, in trenches and dugouts. Here I am on the border between what we know and what we seek to know. It (Antarctica) is a very special place.
He is ... a talented musician who wrote songs every winter about whales, seals and even plankton. But now his guitar lies idle in a corner. "Since the invasion of my home I can neither play nor sing," he says sadly, "Only when we have peace again will I be able to sing".... And in three weeks' time, he will see his family for two days before returning to the frontline in the Border Guard.
He is looking forward to welcoming his first child, who was born a few months ago. In 2019, his wife, a humpback whale expert, became one of the first women in more than 20 years to work on the Vernadsky.
He took five bullets and was too badly wounded to fight further. He returned to work on phytoplankton research at the NNRC.
Which polar explorers the quotes are referring to and how Ukraine has expanded the areas of scientific research at the former British Faraday station, read the article.
Our "fighting penguins" protect Ukraine, and we are sincerely grateful to them for this, - said in NANTS.
The NASC said that more than 20 participants of Ukrainian Antarctic expeditions have already joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces.