MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. A Polar expedition, dubbed Barrier-Free North, kicked off on Sunday from Tver, some 150 km from Moscow. The travelers driving 4WD will get to the Kanin Peninsula in the Nenets Region, which separates the Barants Sea from the White Sea, the expedition’s participant and organizer Evgeny Pavlov told TASS.
"We have started the expedition from Tver, and we have almost 5,000 kilometers to cover," he said. "Our target is to get to the Kanin Nos meteorology station on the Kanin Peninsula, which separates the White and Barents Seas."
The Tver Region’s governmental press service says the expedition’s participants drive four vehicles - two Russia-made off-road vehicles Shaman, one modified ‘Russian Jeep’ UAZ 4x4 off-road, and a specialized ATV. "About 3,500 kilometers of the route are along the public roads, and the off-road part - about 1,500 kilometers - is in the Arkhangelsk, Nenets and Komi Regions," the press service said.
The expedition plans getting to the Nenets Region’s center - Naryan-Mar - by March 18, where they will participate in the presidential election voting. The travelers will attempt a Russian record of "longest trip by an ATV in the Polar region."
The Barrier-Free North project is a joint initiative of a Russian ATV producer and of Evgeny Pavlov, who lives in the Tver Region and who is Russia’s four-time champion in rally racing.