MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. A new historical project - Russian Arctic - will cover 10 unique locations discovered by Arctic explorers and will be dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the Northern Sea Route and the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, traveler and Arctic researcher Bogdan Bulychev told TASS on sidelines of the International Arctic Forum.
"The Russian Arctic historical project will start [soon in Norilsk]. Last year, <...> we identified a huge number of important historical sites that have not been mapped in any way, and they have been mentioned in archives only or in references to works or expedition essays. We have chosen ten most unique locations <...>. For every location we make a sign reading what happened there and when <...>. We have devoted the Russian Arctic. Following Great Discoverers project to the 500th anniversary of the Northern Sea Route, because all those locations are there, and to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory," he said.
The project will be digitized, he added. "We put on the signs QR codes leading to pages on those locations - photo and video materials, archival documents, that is those will be big information points telling about unique places," he said.
The project will offer an online book of visits. "A person who has been there [at one of the locations] may enter first and last name, the date and click the "Register" button to find out that in that location he or she was the 37th or 48th after Papanin, Amundsen or Kolchak," the traveler said.
As part of the expedition, the participants will sample water, snow and lichens along the Northern Sea Route for scientific purposes, he added.
The Kolyma route
Work on a tourist route across Kolyma is being finalized, he continued. "We are about the release a film we have made as part of this project. <…> 50% of the route crosses the territory of Yakutia and 50% crosses Magadan [region]. The regional government will pass the prepared route report to the Ministry of Economic Development so that they could eye the Kolyma route as part of the national tourist route," he said.
About the expedition
The Russian Arctic. Following Great Discoverers historical expedition is due from March to April, 2025, in the Yamal, Krasnoyarsk, Taimyr, Yakutia and Magadan Regions. The objective is to promote polar explorers, preserve the history of the Arctic's discoveries and to attract interest to the Arctic.
The expedition's organizer is the Pro Travel expedition center, which in 2024, with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, implemented the Russia 360 project, where the team was the first in history to travel around Russia along its borders.
The project is supported by Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, and by Alexey Chekunkov, Minister for Development of the Far East and Arctic. The project's partners are the Rosatom State Corporation, the government of the Magadan Region, and the Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic.
About the forum
The sixth International Arctic Forum was held in the Murmansk Region for the first time. The Forum serves as a platform for discussing the socio-economic development of the Arctic territories, including multilateral strategies for how to harness the region’s vast resources.
A key focus was the Northern Sea Route’s expansion, coinciding with the 500th anniversary of its exploration.
TASS was the information partner of the forum.