A meeting with the "Battle Penguins" – four-time Antarctic expedition participant Yurii Lyshenko and Director of the National Antarctic Scientific Center (NASC) Yevhen Dykyi – took place at the Museum. Both are veterans of the russian-Ukrainian war.
In the announcement for the event, we noted that since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, 27 polar explorers had joined Ukraine’s Defense Forces. By the time of the meeting, two more Antarctic expedition participants had taken up arms to defend Ukraine.
In numbers, this is nearly two full wintering teams at Ukraine’s Akademik Vernadsky Research Base. These military polar explorers are symbolically called "Battle Penguins." Among them are scientists, cooks, doctors, engineers, and system administrators who, at the front, have become infantrymen, sappers, drone operators, and communication specialists.
Yevhen Dykyi spoke about the history, development, and current state of Ukraine’s Antarctic station. Despite russia’s predatory claims to exclusive control over former Soviet Antarctic stations, in 1996 Ukraine successfully acquired its station. The United Kingdom transferred ownership of the "Faraday" station to Ukraine, which was renamed "Academik Vernadsky." Today, Ukraine is a member of the European Polar Board (EPB), the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), and other international polar organizations. Ukrainian researchers study the ozone hole and gather critical data for environmental protection.
With the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, a significant number of polar explorers joined the defense of Ukraine. When asked whether it was difficult to make such a choice, Yurii Lyshenko replied: "There was no choice. Because how else? We have only one Homeland – this is our land, and it must be defended!"
Yurii had worked as a diesel operator at the Akademik Vernadsky Research Base. After returning from his fourth wintering expedition in the spring of 2023, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served as an assault trooper and fought in Donbas and his native Kharkiv region. After being seriously wounded during an enemy attack, he lost a leg. However, he did not give up – this year, he again traveled to "Vernadsky" as part of a seasonal expedition.
The NASC has donated the first part of a unique collection of artifacts related to the stories of their colleagues now serving in the Defense Forces to the Museum’s collection.
The Museum is honored to collaborate with NASC and to tell the stories of these heroic polar explorers fighting on the frontlines of the russian-Ukrainian war.
You can watch the recording of the meeting at the following link:
