Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said that his country's southernmost Vostok research station in Antarctica is "one of the most modern and well-equipped" in the continent, as he participated in the launch of its new wintering complex.
"Until recently, the conditions at the station were very modest, ascetic, one might say, far from the modern level of comfort … Now the situation has changed, the station's capabilities have increased by an order of magnitude. Today it is one of the most modern and well-equipped in Antarctica," Putin said during the ceremony, which was also attended by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Stating that the last major renovation in Vostok Station took place more than 40 years ago, Putin said the first buildings of the station have long been buried under the snow, while even later buildings are either partially or have since been completely buried under up to five meters of snow.
Putin went on to express gratitude to everyone who contributed to the creation of the station's new wintering complex, including Russia's Novatek natural gas company.
He further described the opening of the new wintering complex as a "big and significant event" for Russian polar scientists, stating that the event concerns both Russia and its allies.
"The new station will strengthen cooperation between scientists from different countries, will become an open platform for solving pressing problems in the field of studying nature and the environment and, of course, promoting joint scientific innovation programs within the framework of the Union State of Russia and Belarus," he added.
The Vostok Station was established in 1957 and is one of five active Russian research stations in Antarctica. It is situated over Lake Vostok, the largest subglacial lake in the continent, and is best known to be the location where the lowest measured natural temperature on Earth of -89.2C was measured.
