Original subtitles

PUNTA ARENAS REPUBLIC OF CHILE

This might sound a bit strange now, but...

if you ever decide to travel to Antarctica,

you’ll find yourself asking, “Where do I begin?”

Cruises to Antarctica depart from New Zealand

as well as from Tasmania, Australia.

The second option is Cape Town, South Africa.

The third, more traditional option is South America,

either Ushuaia, Argentina,

or Chile, Punta Arenas.

This is where we are now.

The 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition will set off from here

and head to the Akademik Vernadsky Research Station for a whole year.

We're joining this expedition.

Not for the whole year, but for a little less.

At around 5 p.m., I reached the cabin

that was to be my home for the next three weeks.

Or maybe longer than three weeks.

I am not sure yet.

And this is the Ukrainian icebreaker

that will take us to Antarctica.

This ship is called Noosfera.

"Noosfera" is not something fictional,

the name comes from Volodymyr Vernadsky,

a Ukrainian scientist,

whose name our Antarctic station bears.

The Noosfera is primarily a scientific research vessel.

There are plenty of devices here for studying the ocean.

This ship is operated by the National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine.

Yes, we have such an institution.

Being so far from home, at the very edge of South America,

it was very unusual to see the Ukrainian flag,

the blue-and-yellow symbols,

and the inscription "Noosfera Odesa."

Odesa is the port of registry,

although now the ship is based in Cape Town.

That was my first impression.

And later, when you walk along the deck,

you start noticing a lot of signs

written in a language that is clearly not Ukrainian.

Phrases like “mind your head” and these ladder instructions

eventually make you realize that this ship was not built in Ukraine.

This vessel was called the RRS James Clark Ross.

If you look closely,

you can still see the old letters on the ship's hull.

They’re still there.

A QUICK BIT OF HISTORY

This ship was named after a famous British polar explorer,

Sir James Clark Ross.

The vessel was launched by Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II in 1990.

In 2021, after 30 years of service for the British Antarctic Survey,

the royal icebreaker was put up for sale.

That same year, Ukraine bought it.

Now it is the flagship of the National Research Fleet.

A Ukrainian vessel with a very experienced Ukrainian captain,

Pavlo Panasiuk,

a Ukrainian crew, but a British character.

I was honestly impressed by how well-made and comfortable it is.

The British have been building ships for hundreds of years.

But what’s also important is,

we bought it for a very good price.

The James Clark Ross was put up for sale for $12,000,000.

Ukraine bought it for just five million.

Thanks again to Great Britain and our diplomats for that.

If this icebreaker were to be torn apart for scrap metal,

its value would be three to four million dollars.

We bought it for five.

Just six months later,

the ship went on its first voyage to Antarctica

under the Ukrainian flag.

Things could've turned out differently,

because the icebreaker left the port of Odesa

on January 28, 2022.

That is, less than a month before the full-scale invasion.

And if that hadn't happened,

I think the Noosfera would have shared the fate of Mriya.

However, the adventures of the Ukrainian ship didn’t end there.

When the Noosfera was passing through the Dardanelles Strait,

it encountered Russian landing ships.

The captain, Pavlo Panasiuk,

called the head of the National Antarctic Scientific Center, Yevhen Dykyi.

He said, “I didn’t think anything could happen,

but now we’ve met these Russian landing ships."

They were moving like they were in military mode,

maintaining radio silence.

It didn’t look like training at all.

That’s how Noosfera narrowly missed the war.

Right now, the final preparations are underway on the ship.

We are still waiting for the polar researchers.

And tomorrow morning we depart for Antarctica.

EVENING

Good evening.

Place your belongings by the wall and board the ship.

Around 11 p.m.,

the polar explorers of the 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition,

who will stay at Vernadsky Station for the winter, came aboard.

In total, that’s 13 people.

Eight scientists, a doctor, a cook, a sysadmin,

a systems mechanic, and a diesel electrician.

Everyone's here now.

MORNING

DAY 1

So, it's 8 a.m., March 11, 2025.

The Noosfera is raising the gangway and casting off.

We are heading out to sea.

THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN

So, we are now in the Strait of Magellan.

This is the strait between the Tierra del Fuego archipelago,

"Fireland" in English, and the mainland of South America.

It’s quite a tricky place for navigation,

because there are many underwater rocks, storms,

and quite strong gusts of wind.

So this route must be navigated with the help of a harbor pilot,

a local who knows the area and can guide the way.

It's mandatory.

The waves are already starting to rise a little,

but this is just the beginning.

It will get much worse.

So, what am I getting at?

Let's take a closer look at the Noosfera

while it's still not rocking too much.

MODERN POP MUSIC PLAYING

We can finally launch the drone

and, from above, grasp the scale of this nearly 100-meter, six-deck vessel.

This vessel is as tall as a 10-story building.

The Noosfera is not an ordinary liner

but an ice-class vessel with a reinforced hull

for navigating Antarctic conditions.

The bow has a strong ice belt,

with which the icebreaker, at very low speed,

can cut through young ice up to one meter thick.

The rudder and propeller are protected by an ice cutter,

and the hull is made of special steel designed to withstand low temperatures.

Behind this rugged exterior

is a surprisingly comfortable ship

that can carry 50 passengers

and has everything needed to create hygge

even in harsh polar conditions.

Here you have a medical unit, laundry room,

a cozy crew lounge, and a library

that has some preserved gems of British literature,

like Mike Oldfield’s autobiography,

the novel Roses are Red,

and also a detailed guide to using the MS-DOS operating system.

The ship is over 30 years old.

Look how cute this is.

There’s still a sticker from the James Clark Ross library

asking people to return any books before leaving the vessel.

The British...

The Ukrainian period on the ship is marked by heavy use of the walls,

with photos of Noosfera, polar explorers,

and, of course, penguins.

There are the mostly penguins here.

I also want to show you the engine room,

because in terms of its engine, the Noosfera is built quite unusually.

Right now, we are entering the compartment

where the ship’s propeller rotates.

Which is this huge metal pipe here.

And listen. It’s so quiet here.

This is the real sound.

Speaking in automotive terminology, the Noosfera is a hybrid.

Two diesel engines feed a massive generator,

which provides the current to move the vessel.

After evacuation drills

and courses on zipping yourself into an immersion suit,

which is not that easy,

we left the Strait of Magellan,

and only the pilot had to be dropped off.

This happens in a very interesting way.

A boat comes right up to the Noosfera, without slowing down,

and a passenger jumps over while the ship is moving.

And that’s it.

People cheer, wave, and are like, “It worked. Unbelievable!”

And the boat departs.

I’ve only seen something like this in Michael Bay movies.

They docked so skillfully, picked up people, and so quickly departed.

At the end of the first day, we were rewarded with sun,

waves, and an increasingly strong wind

that created absolutely incredible scenes at sea.

Honestly, I was lost in thought and couldn’t move,

because it was so beautiful.

It felt like CGI, computer graphics.

Yes, these days I probably should say

that everything you see is not ChatGPT, not Midjourney...

In short, it’s not AI.

It’s all nature.

DAY 2

On the second day, for me, as a passenger,

the hardest part of the journey began.

Around 10 a.m. on March 12, we entered the Drake Passage.

THE DRAKE PASSAGE

Drake Passage is about 800 km of open sea

between South America and Antarctica.

It is one of the most dangerous places for sailing in the world.

Known for its unpredictable weather,

winds, strong currents, and waves of up to 10, 15 meters high.

The Drake Passage is considered the stormiest place on the planet.

Meaning there’s no scenario where there’s no storm.

The only question is, is it weak, or is it strong?

Today, most likely, we are at least a bit lucky.

It's not rocking too much.

However, the day has only just begun.

Two hours later, I was already lying in deep Savasana,

because I was hit with seasickness.

To be honest, it doesn't feel very good.

Seasickness is essentially a bug in the brain's functioning.

It happens because the eyes see one thing,

but the body feels something completely different.

When I walk down this corridor,

the brain perceives this image as static,

but I’m being rocked from side to side.

As a result, a kind of sensory system conflict arises.

Seeing these movements with your eyes isn’t that easy.

I mean, when you turn on the tap,

just like now,

you can see the water.

But when you walk around the lounge, it’s not that obvious.

From the porthole, the sea doesn’t feel stormy at all,

but it becomes clearer when you go up to the captain's bridge

and see the vessel’s vertical movements with your eyes.

As you can see now...

Down, up, down, up...

Well, you get the idea.

This happens even in calm weather,

when the sun is shining, the sky is clear,

and you don’t see any super high waves.

But still, if you’re in the strait,

you’re constantly riding these roller coasters.

And it feels pretty awful.

I hope green suits me.

Everything is fine as long as you're lying down.

But when you get up...

Before entering the Drake Passage,

everything should be fixed and fastened,

because everything immediately starts flying.

The sailors even use their own terminology,

"Drake Lake" when the passage is calm,

and "Drake Shake" when there are turbulent waters.

We’ve had some "shake" moments,

but I won’t show them to you,

because when it happened,

I was just lying in my cabin in a brick-like position.

The only thing that made me get up

was simply the need to go to the restroom.

That’s it.

There is definitely a way out of this.

But personally, the pills just made me sleepy,

which, overall, isn’t bad either,

but some people still need to work in these conditions.

For example, cooks.

And how do they do it? I have no idea.

In short, Drake is quite an unpleasant experience

that you just have to get through.

After all, it’s the price you pay to reach Antarctica.

DAY 4

After two days of constant rocking and seasickness,

we exited the Drake Passage and entered the Southern Ocean.

THE SOUTHERN OCEAN

Maybe this is the first time some of you are hearing this toponym,

because we are used to the idea that there are only four oceans.

But since 2000, the International Geographic Organization

has recognized a fifth ocean,

which lies beyond a latitude of 60 degrees south.

It’s this ocean that surrounds Antarctica.

Besides the harsh climate,

the Southern Ocean has one very distinctive feature

that makes it easily recognizable.

This ocean is the main source of icebergs on the planet.

Under the influence of wind and waves,

fairly large chunks can break off an iceberg.

This is called calving,

and we were very lucky to witness this spectacular process.

And on the evening of the fourth day,

I finally saw Antarctica.

Let's clarify one important point before we continue.

If you happen to have any sailor friends,

you know that you should never say that a ship “sails.”

Because it is not sailing, it is moving.

Sailors get offended if you say it the other way.

Polar explorers have the same problem

when someone confuses the Arctic and the Antarctic.

In 2021, I was 1000 kilometers from the North Pole,

on the Spitsbergen archipelago.

That’s the Arctic, and it’s very different from Antarctica.

In general, they can be confused because both are cold,

both have polar days, polar nights, and the aurora.

But the Arctic is mostly ocean and ice.

Antarctica, which is in the Antarctic region,

it's a separate landmass, a part of the Earth’s surface.

And this continent is actually huge.

Its area is larger than Australia.

One more thing.

Polar bears are in the Arctic.

There are no polar bears in Antarctica.

There are penguins here.

NIGHT

As night falls, the danger level for the Noosfera rises.

The lights are turned off on the ship's bridge.

and the crew carries out

a very important task in complete darkness.

Tracking icebergs.

Each iceberg is roughly like a concrete slab in terms of density.

DAY 5

By the fifth day of the journey,

Antarctica felt especially close.

Yes, it’s March now,

but we’re on the other part of the globe.

This means that autumn has already begun in the region

WIENCKE ISLAND

However, when the snow stopped,

the views were simply magnificent.

THE BISMARCK STRAIT

What you’re seeing now is the Antarctic,

that is, the islands that are located not far from the continent.

It’s clear to see where the icebergs come from.

By the way, about icebergs...

I understand that these ice blocks

don’t look as spectacular on screen as in real life.

It's particularly hard to grasp

the scale of each iceberg on video.

For example, if this bird hadn’t appeared here,

you probably wouldn’t realize

that this ice block is actually the size of a multi-story building.

But despite all this,

there will be many icebergs in this movie.

During my entire stay in Antarctica,

I filmed them like a maniac,

and now I have a small collection.

And this is the highlight of it.

I’m talking about this quite rare striped iceberg.

It looks as if it was modeled in a 3D program.

This effect comes from the fact

that the ice absorbed sediment and dust each year,

forming a multi-layered structure,

which actually serves

as a very visual biography of this iceberg.

Icebergs are like Airbnb for local wildlife.

This is actually how I first met subantarctic penguins,

who ran away from our icebreaker as fast as they could.

They’re so adorable!

As the ship approaches the final point of our route,

we meet more and more icebergs.

This makes navigation much more difficult.

The risk of collision with them is quite real.

In 2007, a cruise ship in this area hit an iceberg and sank.

Fortunately, no one died.

This part of the route, like the Drake Passage,

is quite dangerous.

It requires maximum attention and caution from the crew.

The Noosfera is forced to go very slowly, actively maneuvering.

It literally squeezes between ice blocks of various sizes.

All this is complicated by snowfall and poor visibility.

Around 2 p.m. on March 15, 2025,

we finally reached the Penola Strait.

The ship will stay here for the next week.

Four and a half days at sea

and we are finally almost there. Almost.

This is the final point of the route for the Noosfera,

but we'll keep moving.

Let’s look at everything from the air to understand why this is happening.

This red dot on the horizon is our icebreaker,

and you can see the station in the foreground.

There is no special pier for large ships at Vernadsky Station.

The strait through which you can reach it

is narrow and often completely blocked by icebergs.

You can end up here and stay for a long time.

The only connection between the Noosfera and the station

is small Zodiac boats.

For the next week,

these boats are both our Bolt and Bolt Food.

The first polar explorers from Vernadsky are arriving on them.

In a few days, they will head home

after working for a long time in Antarctic conditions.

They will be replaced by the team of the 30th Antarctic Expedition.

They are currently preparing to depart for the station.

Boarding the boat here is done via a Jacob's ladder.

When there are waves at sea,

climbing this ladder turns into a real Fort Boyard,

because you can easily fall off here.

The polar explorers are heading to Vernadsky Station,

and they will return to the icebreaker in a year.

This is not the last time we’ll see them.

Now, some important information about this region.

The nearest ATB supermarket is about 15,000 kilometers away.

So I can't just run out to grab some chips whenever I want.

Therefore, to allow 13 people to live for a year in Antarctic conditions,

it’s necessary to deliver enough provisions,

fuel, and materials to the station.

All of this must be very precisely calculated.

It's not fun to be without food in the Antarctic winter.

Frankly, it's not a very good scenario.

This is the Noosfera's hold,

which carries several dozen tons of cargo.

Everything that's needed to survive the harsh winter,

from fresh vegetables to medications.

This is just a small part

of what the Ukrainian icebreaker can carry.

Before we had the Noosfera,

we used or chartered ships from other countries

to deliver the crew and cargo to Vernadsky.

That was quite complicated and expensive.

The demand for those kinds of vessels here is enormous.

The Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition is no longer dependent on anyone now.

On the contrary, we can now provide services

to other countries ourselves.

Spoiler, we are really on top of this.

On the return from Antarctica,

the Noosfera brought polar explorers back to Chile

from the Polish station, Henryk Arctowski.

Here is the Polish station behind me.

Previously, both the Polish and several other stations

were serviced by the Russian vessel, Akademik Fedorov.

It was before the full-scale invasion.

All these contracts have been taken over by the Noosfera.

This Ukrainian vessel services not only the Polish station,

it also services the Spanish station, Gabriel de Castill,

and the American station, Palmer.

The demand for the Noosfera's logistics services

is much greater than the ship can currently handle.

The main obstacle is its age.

The icebreaker is 35 years old,

and it requires technical maintenance much more often than a new vessel.

Honestly, I only realized it while loading this lifeboat,

that we have finally reached Antarctica, the station.

I thought this was the most remote place I had traveled to.

Turns out, it wasn’t.

New Zealand was farther.

It really feels like it's the edge of the world.

I’ve said many times that I’m at the edge of the world.

This is truly that edge.

As soon as the lifeboat departed from the Noosfera,

new boats began mooring to the icebreaker.

Their task was to quickly load and deliver to the station

the supplies for the polar explorers that had arrived in the ship’s holds.

In about two months,

this entire area will be covered with ice,

and any navigation will become impossible.

Meaning people will literally be blocked in here.

One of the most important

and most difficult things to transport is fuel.

These tanks for carrying fuel are loaded onto the boats.

Each of these tanks holds roughly one ton of diesel fuel.

Over the next six days,

140 of them need to be delivered.

Zodiac boats are completely open,

so being the boat's driver in a blizzard

is not an easy thing.

But there is no other choice.

The Noosfera does not have much time,

only about a week,

to deliver the cargo to the station.

The main obstacle is the weather,

because the boats can only moor to the icebreaker

in relatively calm seas.

During loading, crane operations, even in mild storms,

can be extremely dangerous,

especially if fuel is being loaded.

So, if the sea is calm and there are no waves,

the work continues right into the night.

You already know what a night on the Noosfera looks like.

Iceberg movement is monitored with four spotlights.

If the crew realizes that an iceberg is approaching the ship,

the Noosfera must quickly move to a safe distance.

The icebreaker is currently held in place without an anchor,

This is how its dynamic positioning system works.

The computer automatically controls the engines

to keep the vessel in place within a few centimeters.

In case of danger,

the Noosfera doesn’t waste time lifting an anchor,

but immediately accelerates and changes its position.

During our stay in this strait, the icebreaker did this at least once.

This was because icebergs began blocking us from all sides.

DAY 6

When all the loading bustle eases a bit,

the first thing you notice is Antarctica’s wildlife.

Whales swim around, birds fly,

huge schools of fish jump out of the sea.

Wait a minute...

I'm not sure about the fish.

Let’s watch that again in slow motion.

Oh, now I see...

Sorry, I thought they were fish, but they were penguins.

So yes, penguins are jumping around, birds are flying,

and almost immediately after I launched the drone,

I spotted my first whale swimming nearby.

This is a humpback whale.

They’re the most common in Antarctica.

Here, they mainly feed

because Antarctic waters have an abundance of krill,

which is a kind of Antarctic shrimp.

But for mating purposes, they migrate closer to the equator.

That’s about 8,000 km away.

They cover that distance every single year.

Eventually, the whale spread its fins,

humpback whales really do have enormous fins,

and dove deep underwater.

Most likely, it went to look for food.

I’ve filmed whales in different places,

but to see one right on the first day,

just like that...

I’ve never experienced that before.

And it wasn’t just one whale,

there were, honestly, dozens of them.

I've definitely seen a few whales today.

This is a real whale party out here.

It's just...

I'm so impressed.

That's crazy!

As you remember,

to reach the station, you have to pass through a strait,

where the ice conditions can change several times a day.

But we were lucky.

I’d like to say that my foot has now stepped

onto the last continent I had yet to visit,

but that’s not entirely true.

The Ukrainian station is located on an island.

Technically, this is not yet Antarctica,

it’s still the Antarctic.

The continent itself is just within arm’s reach.

In fact, you can see it now.

Those massive mountains in the background,

separated by a strait.

This part of the mainland is called the Kyiv Peninsula.

This is a real toponym.

It's probably the only Kyiv in the world

that hasn’t yet been covered in high-rise buildings.

Vernadsky Station is located on Galindez Island.

It’s actually tiny, less than one square kilometer.

The main buildings are concentrated on a small patch of land.

So it’s almost like a holiday cottage here.

Before this blue-and-yellow flag was raised here,

the station belonged to the British.

It was handed over to us for free in 1996.

That was a goodwill gesture from the British government,

because after the collapse of the USSR,

Russia denied Ukraine all 12 Soviet Antarctic stations.

It declared itself their sole successor.

Well then, welcome.

Damn, I forgot...

All the doors here open inward.

There's so much snow here in winter,

so you simply couldn’t open them outward.

Let’s take a look around.

Here we see this big green building,

which is the central one at the station.

Passing through the changing room,

you then enter a long corridor lined with old pictures.

There are a lot of different artifacts here.

An autograph of Thor Heyerdahl,

and a picture of Bill Gates,

who visited Vernadsky with his family back in 2010.

Here you’ll find the biology lab, the radio station,

the station commander’s office,

as well as two items you’d least expect to see here.

A snowboard and a crossbow.

I’ll explain later why they’re here.

For about nine months of the year,

Vernadsky Station is completely cut off from the outside world.

You can neither get here nor leave.

So if something happens, no help will arrive.

Everything follows one very important rule here.

And this rule is "Better safe than sorry."

There are three generators powering everything here.

The first one is running,

the second one is undergoing maintenance,

the third is kept just in case.

There are two boilers.

But again, there’s also an electric one, just in case,

The fuel tank,

designed for the station by the Paton Institute,

has a double hull.

Finally, there is a spare building.

Also just in case.

The main building, constructed by the British, is made of wood.

Fire is probably the worst-case scenario here.

Every wall is covered with fire extinguishers.

Another crucial aspect is self-sufficiency.

The team must be able to survive a whole year without outside help.

There are bottles of water everywhere,

but there are not enough to last that long.

The water here is taken from the ocean, desalinated,

then the water mineralized and supplied through the tap.

It's desalinated, mineralized water from the Southern Ocean.

It tastes like regular water.

Another interesting area is medicine.

Meet Ivanka,

the doctor of the 29th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition.

Come in, please.

Being already almost middle-aged,

the first thing I asked Ivanka was to show me the medical storerooms.

Here's what you can see here. Medicine for every need.

The same applies to the doctor at the station.

They're a very broad specialist

who can do far more than an ordinary physician.

For example, take X-rays and treat teeth.

There is a separate dental office.

Ivanka knows how to use all of it.

I think many of you have seen this picture,

a Soviet polar explorer

removing his own appendix in Antarctica.

Because he was the doctor and the only person at the station

capable of carrying out such an operation.

Some countries take radical measures to avoid such incidents,

In Australia, doctors wintering at Antarctic stations

are required to have an appendectomy before the trip.

Chile has gone even further.

At the Chilean settlement on King George Island,

all long-term residents, including children,

must have their appendix removed before moving there.

There are no such requirements at the Ukrainian station.

We didn't have that.

But we did have to undergo an upper endoscopy,

that is, to swallow a tube.

That’s the standard procedure for anyone coming here.

By the way, polar explorers

almost never get colds or the flu in winter.

There’s simply no one here to spread those illnesses.

The first cases appeared with the first visiting tourists.

Yes, tourists do come here.

About 4,000 people would visit the station every year, before COVID times.

It must be said that tours to Antarctica

are probably one of the most expensive types of tourism.

The cheapest cruise I found started at around $12,000.

Usually, the tickets cost between $15,000 and $20,000 per person.

And that’s the lower end. It can be more expensive.

The conditions the polar explorers live in can’t be called ascetic,

but it’s definitely not a hotel.

The rooms are very similar to train compartments on Ukrzaliznytsia.

I have to speak in whispers because everyone’s sleeping.

The partitions between the rooms are very thin here.

People just don't set alarms here.

An alarm might wake up your neighbor.

Instead, people are woken up by touch,

and requests are left on this board.

Here’s an example. Tania has the night shift.

She wants to be woken up at half past eleven.

Rounds are made every hour, both day and night.

It's done to check the main equipment,

whether the generator is running properly,

and whether the food storage fridges are okay.

Again, just to be safe.

Look at this.

Speaking of food.

Food in Antarctica is more than just food.

Polar explorers burn calories because of the cold and stress.

Tasty, varied meals are very important.

Food provides psychological support for the team in isolation.

That’s why the cook is one of the most important people.

A lot depends on them.

And they're the only team member with an official day off.

On Sundays, the other polar explorers cook.

Everyone uses their own skills.

As you may have guessed, it's Sunday today.

Nazar is a young and talented chef on the 29th expedition,

When I came into his kitchen,

Nazar was making cheese using Carpathian recipes

and cinnamon rolls in Antarctic style.

Powdered milk...

A lot of butter...

This is a good, fatty, delicious, high-calorie bun.

We make them in different sizes.

Everyone can choose what they want.

Polar explorers have different appetites.

Someone needs two big buns,

while for others, one small is enough.

Katsurin and I have said many times on "The Food of Ukraine,"

“Look, this is the best, the most beautiful kitchen."

"The view is incredible.”

This one actually has the best view.

I'd give four out of five stars. It's tasty.

The biggest challenge with food in Antarctica is storing it.

Here, it’s stored in all possible forms, from fermentation to dehydration.

This is salted pork.

Wait a second.

This is a salted pork that has been hanging here

for more than a year.

Meaning it's from the previous year.

The pork was 1.7 kilograms.

It is a bit smaller now. It has dried a bit.

We will try it when we switch shifts.

Some 70 years ago,

the food for polar explorers was not so varied.

This old cookbook has recipes

that the British Antarctic station overwinterers used

back in the 1950s.

Here you’ll find roulades of seal

and roast penguin breast.

It sounds strange even hearing that,

as Antarctic wildlife is strictly protected today.

Penguins are one of the main symbols of Vernadsky.

The first creatures you see at the station are penguins.

They are the ones to greet newcomers right at the pier.

There are two piers at Vernadsky Station.

Both piers are guarded by penguins.

The biggest colony is at the edge of the island,

at a place called Penguin Point.

PENGUIN POINT

Around 6,000 penguins live on Galindez Island.

If you wonder how they’re counted,

well, using a drone.

They just count these little white dots.

It’s done by biologists,

who work on many other research tasks

besides counting penguins.

Let’s take a closer look now

at what Ukrainian polar explorers actually do.

METEOROLOGY

First, meteorological research.

Antarctica plays a key role in global atmospheric circulation.

This region influences the weather across the whole planet.

Winds in America or Europe can be strong.

It all depends on the situation at the South Pole.

Antarctic meteorological data is critical for aviation.

It is key for sailing and climate forecasting too.

Without knowing the weather in Antarctica,

the weather elsewhere would be far less predictable.

That’s why constant weather monitoring here is so important.

The first polar stations in Antarctica,

like this British one,

were established here specifically for meteorology.

That's how important they are here.

Сlimate research projects are the longest in Antarctica.

They have been conducted every day since 1947.

That is, for almost 80 years continuously.

Thanks to this huge dataset,

scientists have determined that over the past 70 years,

the average annual temperature in Antarctica

has risen by 4°C.

The highest temperature I personally recorded here was 6°C.

You thought Antarctica was really cold too, right?

Actually, no.

Sure, it can get very cold here,

and the lowest ever recorded on the continent was -89°C.

But that was on the Antarctic continent.

Here, in the Antarctic, at Vernadsky Station

winter temperatures are usually around -15°C.

This place is famous for its very strong winds.

Last year, winds of about 45 m/s were recorded here.

That’s roughly 160 km/h.

This boat, which had been secured,

was almost blown off the pier.

And throw some snow in.

A lot of snow.

As for the amount of snow that falls at Vernadsky.

See that ladder?

It's here for a reason.

Snow usually covers the entire first floor.

And people use this ladder, via that balcony, to go outside.

And now it looks like this.

This is a fur seal.

Explorers said a fur seal once warmed itself here in winter.

Because snow filled the first floor up to the roof.

Just look at this weather now.

It's just autumn. It's not even winter yet.

But the meteorologists will be working all night.

They’ve gone to launch a weather balloon.

That’s how weather data is collected.

The data is collected here eight times a day, no exceptions.

Every three hours, the weather data is...

Now it's snowing...

They’ll know about it within three hours in Greenwich, London,

They will compile the weather forecast.

When you read the weather forecast in your city,

it’s partly thanks to the meteorologists at Vernadsky.

Another line of research here is chemistry and geophysics.

By which they mean atmospheric chemistry.

The main studies focus on ozone levels.

It's measured here through the ozone hole.

It was discovered right here at Vernadsky.

Back then, the station was British and called Faraday.

Since then, this hole either increases or decreases.

But it constantly looms over Antarctica.

That’s why it’s so important to monitor the ozone layer.

The ozone layer blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation.

This data is updated daily as notes on a board.

The lower the number,

the more you need to protect yourself from UV.

If ozone levels in the atmosphere are low,

you need to put on sunscreen, even on a cloudy day.

If you don’t, then this might happen...

You could end up on the cover of a dermatology magazine.

Measuring ozone at the station is the job of a dedicated person,

the ozone researcher.

This devoted worker lives at work.

Literally.

There is the equipment right there,

and underneath is the researcher's bed.

Well, at least he has a private room.

They also study the Earth’s magnetic field

using sensors placed in these two pavilions.

They’re made of non-magnetic material

and are located some distance away from the station.

Any iron object, even keys in your pocket,

can affect their work.

That’s why approaching these pavilions is forbidden.

Forbidden for everyone, but penguins.

They’re allowed.

Penguins are allowed everything here.

It's the biologists here who conduct research on them.

And not just them,

because biology is another major area of work at the station.

BIOLOGY

They study microorganisms, parasites and insects,

They also study marine mammals, including whales.

You don’t even need to go anywhere for that.

You can just step onto the pier and meet a whale.

It's napping 30 meters from the station.

They sleep here in pairs or even in threes.

It’s part of their social behavior.

Just like dolphins,

half of their brain stays active during this time,

to control breathing, since whales breathe air.

That’s why they need to surface even while sleeping.

Here's how it works.

The whale takes a breath and dives again.

So, now it’s time to explain

why they have a crossbow at the station.

It’s used to collect biopsies from the whales.

That is, a small sample of skin.

There is a special arrow here,

it has a slightly sharpened tip and a float.

Just one shot from the crossbow...

Damn, this phrase sounds barbaric.

Believe me, it’s not that bad.

The crossbow shot is aimed at the least sensitive spot,

near the dorsal fin.

If you are ready, let's shoot.

It looks unpleasant,

but the biologists say

that it feels like a mosquito bite for a whale.

I don't think anyone has ever shot a biologist with a crossbow,

but let's just believe them.

Whales here are identified

by the pattern on their tail, a fluke.

Each one is unique.

It’s almost like a fingerprint,

allowing individual animals to be distinguished.

Whales are studied so extensively here

because they’re good bioindicators.

Toxins accumulate in whale tissue,

so a blubber biopsy allows us to assess environmental pollution.

I should admit that whales are just adorable.

When the weather is nice in Antarctica and a whale’s in the right mood,

he can do things like this.

Just look at this swimmer.

He relaxed so much

that his fin brushed against the boat.

At that moment, Sashko was also on the boat,

he's the station's system administrator.

He was actually piloting the drone.

Whales aren’t aggressive at all.

We've seen hundreds of whales,

and none of them showed any aggression toward us.

You can even see when he was slapping with his flippers,

this whale got scared himself that he might hit something.

The whale rolled back over, shocked by what just happened.

Another focus of the biologists at Vernadsky is penguins.

The station is unique in this sense,

as penguins live here as close to people as possible.

It hasn't always been like that.

In 2007, there were no penguins here.

But due to global warming,

they started nesting on Galindez.

There are strict rules regarding penguins here.

Penguins always have the right of way.

If your paths cross,

you’re always on the secondary road.

The penguin always has the right of way.

You always have to let it pass.

You’re also forbidden to touch them

or get too close to them.

But if you crouch down,

making yourself look less tall and threatening,

well, you can see what happens.

Penguins get curious

and they usually approach on their own.

That part isn’t regulated by the rules.

Penguins from Vernadsky Station are called subantarctic penguins

or gentoo penguins.

They have this white stripe on their head.

There’s one more trait that's unique to the gentoo.

You know that penguins walk really funny,

because of the way their bodies are built.

As our polar explorers say,

penguins are just swallows that had a late-night snack.

They slide on their bellies across the snow,

and that’s a pretty common technique.

But gentoo penguins can really show

their abilities in the water.

That’s where everything changes completely.

It is very difficult to film penguins moving underwater

because of their incredible speed.

Sorry, I really messed this up.

Just look at this colony of penguins.

Can the word "colony" be used in relation to penguins?

Anyway, look at their speed.

Subantarctic penguins are the fastest of them all.

They can reach speeds of up to 36 km/h underwater.

Like a motorboat.

You can see this hydrodynamic trail in real life.

It's something like a jet stream, but underwater.

That speed helps them escape predators

and catch prey.

Penguins feed on krill.

Krill are tiny Antarctic shrimp, which are very nutritious and healthy.

Krill are used both as a bioresource, and in pharmaceuticals,

because omega-3 from krill

is much better absorbed by our bodies

than traditional fish oil.

Almost everything in Antarctica eats krill.

This is a crucial part of the food chain.

It’s time to talk about something really important.

I mean the way penguins defecate.

Penguins very diligently build nests out of pebbles

so they can later incubate their eggs there.

The incubation itself lasts over a month.

Both parents take turns doing it.

There’s no option to relieve themselves,

because skuas are always on patrol nearby.

They’re big, very aggressive birds

that hunt both eggs and chicks.

Soiling the nest isn’t a great option either.

So, nature has gifted penguins with very strong muscles.

They can shoot their poop without leaving the nest.

Yes, you heard that right. Shoot it.

And trust me,

I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

German scientists, quite seriously, calculated how far

they can do this using all the laws of hydrodynamics.

Just remember this number.

You might meet a penguin one day.

That's why you need to know that.

Maybe some of you are already wondering,

"What's the point of biology in Antarctica?"

What’s the benefit for us?

Let me explain it using an example from plants.

This little plant is Antarctic pearlwort.

There are only two plants across the whole of Antarctica,

Antarctic pearlwort and tussock grass.

The naming is a separate story.

But honestly, I was surprised.

I never expected anything to grow in Antarctica.

Ukrainian scientists asked the same question,

"How can anything even grow here?"

They checked the plants’ DNA for possible mutations.

They found nothing unusual.

Then they hypothesized that the bacteria inside the plants

helped them survive in extreme conditions.

It's like the good bacteria in our stomach

that help with digestion.

It's the same here.

And this hypothesis was confirmed.

Our biologists found that bacteria in these plants.

So where’s the benefit?

In theory, these bacteria

could be transferred to the plants we eat,

like wheat, etc.,

to help them grow better.

Here is a practical use of science.

It sounds simple,

but it takes years of research in practice.

Science rarely has an instant effect,

because research studies always take a lot of time.

But so much of what we have today as humanity

is thanks to science.

The camera we use is science.

The phone is science.

The medicines we take, it's all science.

Thanks to the research at Vernadsky Station

and the icebreaker Noosfera,

Ukrainian scientists have joined international research projects.

The state gains access to modern technologies

as well as scientific partnerships.

I have never been this close to a whale before.

What an experience!

You don't even need to look for whales in Antarctica,

you go somewhere, and they just show up.

That's why this region is so unique.

Well then, now it’s official. We’re in Antarctica.

Antarctica is huge.

This continent is 1.5 times larger than Europe.

In winter, it doubles in size due to the ice.

That ice contains about 80% of all the fresh water on the planet.

There’s so much ice here.

If this ice ever fully melted,

the water level in the world's oceans will rise by 60 meters.

Antarctica is the least-explored continent on Earth.

Under a kilometer of ice lies hidden lakes and Alpine-size mountains.

No one has ever seen them.

It is impossible not to fall in love with these landscapes.

Once you recover a bit from all that beauty,

a question comes to mind that every Carpathian realtor would ask.

Whose land is this?

The short answer is simple. No one's.

The long answer is, it’s pretty complicated.

The complication is that as many as seven countries

lay claim to different parts of Antarctica.

Argentina, Australia,

Chile, France, New Zealand,

Great Britain, and Norway.

Norway, for example, claims a sector

that is seven times larger than Norway itself.

Countries wanted to prevent countries from harming anyone,

so they signed the Antarctic Treaty.

I'll read it for you.

The treaty basically says that

Antarctica is a place for scientific research.

Any military activity here is forbidden.

In 1998, a protocol on environmental protection was added to the treaty.

It includes a clause, “Prohibition of Mineral Resource Activities.”

Yes, you heard that right.

And you, Donald, heard that right too.

There are resources here.

Data from the 1950s suggests

there are deposits of oil, gas, nickel, chromium,

and possibly uranium, gold, and diamonds.

There’s no exact information,

because drilling is restricted by international agreements.

You get the idea.

Imagine, you have a continent, Antarctica.

It belongs to no one.

It is twice as large as Australia.

No one has ever mined any resources here.

There may be more resources than anyone could ever imagine

It sounds very good, doesn't it?

There are about 70 stations in Antarctica right now,

and that number keeps growing.

Türkiye is building its own station,

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have announced their plans too.

But Russia and China are the most active in construction.

They have over ten stations combined.

Why is this activity needed?

The moratorium on resource extraction is valid until 2048.

It may be reviewed later.

Considering everything happening in the world,

I think we can predict which direction that revision will take.

Only states with stations here and active research programs

will gain access to the continent’s resources.

As of early 2024,

56 countries are part of the Antarctic Treaty.

Twenty-nine of them have voting rights, including Ukraine.

Why does that matter?

Decisions about Antarctica are made unanimously.

We have the right to veto.

Here's an example.

Ukraine wants to create a protected area on the Argentine Islands.

We want to protect it from tourists.

This decision is blocked by two countries.

Guess these countries?

Russia and China.

Russia wants to involve Belarus.

It wants give it voting rights in the Antarctic Club.

This decision is also blocked.

Guess by whom?

It is blocked by us.

The Antarctic Club is truly a place of fierce diplomatic battles.

There’s another reason for this activity on the icy continent.

If it weren't for the jacket, one could easily say

that I'm somewhere in the Azores.

But this is Antarctica.

It’s greener than you’d expect.

It's covered in different colors.

It unfolds, spreads, and starts to photosynthesize.

It's so bright green, so unique.

The greenery you see is algae.

They haven’t seen anything like this for decades here.

Such rapid algae growth was caused by heavy rain.

Rain that was triggered by global warming.

Antarctica warms up three times faster than the rest of the planet.

Some forecasts suggest the continent may lose lots of ice

by the middle of the century.

In coastal regions,

melting ice is already uncovering rocks and shores.

Ecologically, this means rising sea levels

ecosystem disruption, and shifting ocean currents.

Economically, this means future mining will be much cheaper.

But for now, these are just forecasts.

Antarctic glaciers are still in place.

We even approached one of them.

They collapse sometimes

That can be dangerous for small boats like these.

If the wave is really big,

it can even flip the boat over.

The real danger is the blue ice.

I mean that one, right there.

This isn’t color grading.

Antarctic ice really does look stunningly blue in real life.

It becomes especially vivid when the sun briefly comes out.

The effect comes from the very structure of Antarctic ice.

It is extremely old.

It's formed over hundreds of years by layers of snow piling up.

The snow compresses over time,

air bubbles inside get squeezed, then gradually disappear.

As a result, a structure forms that absorbs nearly all light

except for the blue waves.

These waves aren’t absorbed, but reflected.

Thus making Antarctic ice that magical, mesmerizing blue.

Nature is a first-class master at creating spectacular sights.

Icebergs are probably one of its most beautiful creatures.

They appear in all shapes and forms here.

If you turn on your imagination,

you can see real sculptures in these blocks of ice.

I won’t say what each iceberg reminds me of.

Try to think what they remind you of.

This arch became one of the symbols

of my journey to Antarctica.

It drifted near the station for the whole week we were here.

If you treat icebergs as art, then it’s very fleeting.

Neither the arch nor any of the icebergs you’ve seen exist anymore.

They’ve either melted, disappeared, or completely changed their shape.

Only these images remain.

Biologist Ivan suddenly started frantically hitting the water

with his paddle on our way back.

I did not understand it at all,

but then I saw the head of a leopard seal.

It's one of the most dangerous predators in Antarctica.

The day before, he had punctured a boat’s tube.

It was made of very strong rubber.

Ivan was just trying to scare him away.

It didn’t really help much.

It is so big.

I repeatedly saw this leopard seal right near the station’s pier.

He swam up to the boats every time we were here

and inspected the passengers.

Well, you get it.

This leopard seal is the boss here.

We arrived at the station during the shift change.

It's quite a stressful time here.

Everything must be unloaded within a week,

including 140 tons of diesel.

We weren't lucky with the weather.

We even doubted the polar team would stay on schedule.

All the supplies have to be sorted.

Duties have to be handed over to the new crew.

There are about 30 people living here now instead of 13.

People sleep anywhere they can find space.

I was kindly given a place in the attic.

People also live up there during shift change.

I had my own separate corner.

It was storage for the ski equipment.

I found everything there, including a sleeping bag.

I stayed at Vernadsky for almost three days.

Here is my feedback.

What can I say?

The station quickly feels like home.

But there’s one crucial detail.

There is absolutely no personal space here.

I’m speaking almost in a whisper in my tiny room,

It's because people are sleeping just behind this thin wall.

It’s really tough.

There aren’t many places to find privacy here.

You can lock yourself in a lab,

you can go to see the penguins, or visit the chapel.

By the way, the last one is actually a very good option.

You are not only alone there.

The Wi-Fi signal is also pretty strong there.

But jokes aside, it's true.

It's extremely psychologically difficult to spend

a whole year in such voluntary seclusion.

Not everyone can handle it.

Long isolation is one of the toughest parts of polar work.

Imagine spending a whole year on an island you can’t leave.

You only get three hours of daylight in winter.

It's the same view every day.

The weather is constantly bad.

It's an enclosed space, the same faces.

You still have to take shifts, work outside.

Although it’s the South, it’s definitely not Miami.

If you’re thinking like, well, at least there are penguins,

then I’ve got bad news for you.

Penguins aren’t here in winter.

They migrate to warmer places with access to open water.

Let’s discuss traditions that help polars manage their mental health.

Most of the traditions came from the British, like this pool table.

The British started Friday cleaning.

Then they drank beer.

The Ukrainians kept Friday cleaning,

but they moved the dinner to Saturday.

They allow a bit of wine on Saturdays.

The British wore suits for festive dinners.

The Ukrainians changed it to vyshyvanky.

Every expedition invents its own tradition.

Here’s what the 29th expedition did.

Our expedition had a special tradition.

Every Saturday, no matter the weather or the supplies left in the freezer,

we ate borscht.

Borscht with meat.

Even when we had strict limits on meat supplies.

There was always a little hidden meat reserve.

It was divided into 52 portions, 52 Saturdays.

Borscht always had to be with meat.

We have borscht left.

Today is Monday.

We have borscht, wait.

Give me a second.

Here it is, on delivery.

This borscht has been steeping for two days.

Borscht is the only soup you can’t leave unfinished.

I thought maybe the tradition wouldn't be kept up, or was pointless.

Then I heard the phrase,

“I’m waiting for Saturday to enjoy borscht with pampushky."

How many were there in total?

Around seven or eight thousand.

- Pampushky? - Yes.

- Seven thousand pampushky in a year... - With garlic.

We cooked a lot of borscht.

We made 25 liters of borscht for 40 weeks.

Then we cooked 35 liters each for 12 weeks.

That’s about 1.5 tons of borscht in total.

The borscht was served with sour cream that Nazar made himself.

He used a fermented dairy starter.

This is how it was.

Since we’re talking about leisure,

there is the world’s southern-most bar at this station.

It's named after Michael Faraday.

Polar explorers can relax a bit here.

If you forget we’re in Antarctica,

the bar looks quite sophisticated.

The British planned to build a conference hall here with a library.

But the carpenter knew how to build pubs, not libraries.

He didn't build what was needed, but what he could.

He was even fired for misuse of resources.

But I have to admit, the bar is amazing.

There’s Ukrainian liquor, rare British vinyl records

and a big collection of National Geographic magazines.

Wasn’t that interesting?

Now I better show you penguins.

PENGUIN PEEK

I had a few free hours on the last day,

so I decided to spend them with penguins near Vernadsky.

I adore watching the family dramas of subantarctic penguins.

It's almost like scrolling TikTok, I swear.

It is very addictive and very funny.

The relationship between parents and their children is amazing.

The penguin on the right is a chick.

It pecks at its mother’s beak to show that it’s hungry.

That’s a tactile stimulus that triggers the regurgitation reflex.

That’s how parents feed chicks with half-digested food.

Sometimes there are too many waiting in line to be fed,

and then the parent makes the only right choice,

just to run away.

When parents run from their chicks, like “You’re grown-ups, you handle it,”

it looks very funny.

Pure escapism.

I'm done with penguins.

This is the last day at the station.

The sun finally came out.

This is the end of the shift change.

Two base commanders sign the handover papers.

The commander of the 30th expedition, taking over the duty,

receives the keys to a chest with gifts for the polars.

Congratulations!

It usually contains alcohol and sweets.

I also took part in filling it up.

I brought Shakhtar cake from Kyiv.

That’s a traditional cake from Luhansk, my hometown.

This cake was designed by the confectioners to resemble coal.

This chest is hidden.

It is usually opened in the middle of winter.

Finally, a new flag is raised over the station.

It was brought from Ukraine by the 30th Antarctic Expedition.

They officially take over the duty from this moment.

The polar explorers get ready to load onto the boats,

They finally begin the long journey home.

Everyone is getting ready, we are departing.

Just look at what nature has given us before we leave.

This is the moment when I am incredibly happy.

I swear...

After a vibrant seven days, we leave the station.

We also leave these 13 people.

They will spend the next year in isolation, on the edge of the world.

They will support the Ukrainian mission in Antarctica.

I think this mission is not only about scientific discovery.

Not only about raising a new generation of Ukrainian scientists.

It’s not only about politics and diplomacy,

not only about bioresources and minerals.

It’s also about something to be proud of.

Ukraine has been in Antarctica for 30 years,

despite the war, economic crises, and countless other obstacles.

Ukraine is not sending people into space right now but,

as you just saw,

making it possible for 13 people to live for a year in a polar desert.

Keeping the station... it is something like a space program.

That’s another reason to be proud.

We spent just a week in Antarctica.

It’s not that much time.

But it's enough to understand

that this is one of the wildest, most inaccessible,

and most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

It's an incredible privilege to be here and film this moment.

I fully realize this.

I am thankful to the Armed Forces and Ukrainian polar explorers.