Key points
- The 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition completed a year-long stay at the Akademik Vernadsky station.
- The team included 13 members working in geophysics, meteorology, and biology.
- Scientists monitored climate changes, the ozone layer, Earth’s magnetic field, seismic activity, and space weather.
- The 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition continues the research at the station.
The 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition (UAE) returned home after a year at the Akademik Vernadsky station. The team arrived in Kyiv on 4 April 2026.
The journey back took over a week: first, the team travelled on the vessel Noosphere to the Chilean port of Punta Arenas, then flew to Warsaw, and finally reached Ukraine by bus.
In Kyiv, family, friends, and colleagues were already waiting to welcome the polar explorers.
The team fully completed its mission in Antarctica. We ensured both the continuous operation of the station and the conduct of research, as well as Ukraine’s international representation in the most remote corner of the world.
– Oleksandr Poluden, head of the 30th UAE.
The 30th expedition included 13 members: eight scientists, a doctor, a cook, a system administrator, a diesel engineer, and a mechanic.
They worked in geophysics, meteorology, and biology, conducting observations on climate change, the ozone layer, the dynamics of the Earth’s magnetic field, global seismic activity, and space weather.
Alongside the 30th UAE, members of the seasonal team returned home, who had worked at the Vernadsky station and on the vessel Noosphere during the Antarctic summer, which coincides with winter in Ukraine.
Their work covered two areas: technical and scientific. The engineering team carried out urgent station upgrades, while the scientists collected biological and geological samples, calibrated new equipment, and established monitoring systems in new locations.
On 25 March, the 31st UAE began its mission at the station, continuing the scientific research.
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