Feb. 3, 2026, 5:10 p.m.
(PHOTO: Ukrainian Navy)
The crew of the flagship of the Ukrainian scientific fleet, the icebreaker Noosphere, which relocated from Odesa to Cape Town on the eve of Russia's invasion, raised the flag of the 32nd Separate Artillery Brigade of the Marines in the Antarctic.
This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Navy.
"Our defenders are defending every meter of our native land, so at the request of the artillerymen, we took their flag on a long journey. This flag has traveled a long way from its native Odesa to eventually fly at the Ukrainian Akademik Vernadsky station in the Antarctic. This flag in the Southern Ocean is a symbol of our unbreakable spirit and faith in victory. Even on the edge of the world, we remember those who made it possible for us to work under the Ukrainian flag," the Odesa crew of the Noosphere icebreaker thanked.
Earlier, the captain of the Odesa-based icebreaker Noosphere, Andriy Starish, who arrived at Vernadsky Station at the end of 2025, installed the Kilia signpost on Galindez Island in the Antarctic.
The Noosphere icebreaker arrived at Akademik Vernadsky station the other day. The vessel delivered the team of the Ukrainian seasonal expedition, as well as participants of the First Mexican Antarctic Expedition.
The flagship of the Ukrainian scientific fleet, the icebreaker Noosphere, which was relocated from Odesa to Cape Town on the eve of Russia's invasion, started its fifth Antarctic season in October. The ship's Antarctic season this year, which, according to the National Antarctic Science Center (NASC), is longer than the previous ones, was made possible by international contracts, not by the state budget. All joint research is also funded by foreign partners.
In addition, cooperation with the Antarctic programs of other countries has expanded: for the first time, the icebreaker will provide rotation of polar explorers and deliver cargo to the British Antarctic station Rosera (located 300 kilometers south of Vernadsky, above the Arctic Circle). Joint oceanographic and biological research is also planned as part of the First Mexican Antarctic Expedition, which is being organized in cooperation with Ukraine. Joint oceanographic studies of the mechanisms of warming of the Southern Ocean with Colombian scientists are starting.
In addition, earlier collaborations with Poland, the United States, and the Czech Republic will continue. Traditionally, Noosphere will also deliver a seasonal expedition of technical specialists and scientists to Vernadsky, and subsequently provide a change of annual expeditions.
Кирило Бойко