Several Ukrainian researchers are working in Antarctica and are trying to support their country remotely. They donate to the military, start petitions and give online lectures to children to distract them from the war. The team will be replaced later this month and face an uncertain future.
They spend their days in the freezing cold measuring, analyzing and doing their job as best they can – while the war rages on in their homeland: Several Ukrainian researchers working at the Antarctic base Vernadsky feel helpless in the face of the situation. “In the beginning, we didn’t sleep for days. We followed the news about our places of residence all the time,” says meteorologist Anastasiya Chihareva (26). The scientists woke up at 2 a.m. – 7 a.m. in Ukraine – at check with their families how their night had gone “We have become accustomed to checking the news every free minute in the morning and before going to bed,” Chihareva said in an interview with the AFP news agency.
“My first impression was that all these things are happening in another universe, not in our world,” geophysicist Oleksander Kozlokov, whose family lives in Kharkov, said of the war. “My wife heard and felt the explosions of cruise missiles ten minutes after Putin started this stupid and criminal war.” His family has since fled to Germany.
Despite everything, the scientists at the base, which is named after a Soviet minerologist and geochemist with Russian and Ukrainian roots, try to live as normal a life as possible. They donate to the military, start petitions and offer online lectures to divert Ukrainian children’s attention from the war.
“No Real Plans”
The team will be replaced later this month. They do not think about returning home, their future is uncertain. “I don’t have any real plans,” Chichareva says. “My university in Kharkiv, where I studied, was destroyed, as well as my research institute and scientific equipment in Ukraine,” said geophysicist Kozlokov. He will probably try to continue his scientific work in Europe or America.
The Ukrainian base is located on Galindez Island, about 1200 kilometers from Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina. The island is inhabited all year round by about ten people, in winter temperatures are down to minus 20 degrees.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
