TOMSK, November 6. /TASS/. Russian travelers undertaking the round-the-world "In the Footsteps of Russian Circumnavigators" (Russian Ocean Way) expedition have completed their journey, reaching the final waypoint in Kronstadt, St. Petersburg, the expedition's press service reported.

"Yevgeny Kovalevsky from Tomsk and Stanislav Beryozkin from Novosibirsk reached the final point of the 'In the Footsteps of Russian Circumnavigators' expedition on November 6. Over three and a half years of travel, the crew crossed 35,000 nautical miles and 32 countries, endured two shipwrecks and shark attacks, and successfully overcame many other challenges. There were plenty of challenges since the start of the round-the-world voyage on July 1, 2021," the press service said.

As Yevgeny Kovalevsky, the leader of the expedition, told journalists, their work does not end here. They now plan to establish an open platform for discourse in geography based on the records of the expedition, which will be called "The World Through the Eyes of Russian Travelers." He also emphasized that despite the Russophobia promoted by Western media, they faced no difficulties communicating with ordinary people from other countries.

"The world is open and friendly to everyone, and there is no reason to be afraid to travel or visit other countries. People are very nice everywhere, and that is the most important thing. The harassment of Russians by Western media only affects a small portion of the population. All ordinary people treat Russians and Russia very well, and I personally experienced that," Kovalevsky said.

According to Yulia Kalyuzhnaya, the head of the expedition's shore-based headquarters, many travelers from foreign countries were so impressed by the courage of the Russian sailors that they even joined the Tomsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS).

"We now have Spaniards, Brazilians, Chileans, Argentinians, Australians—quite a large team. We intend to hold a world festival of travelers and invite all the heroes from the 32 countries who joined us on this expedition to Russia," she added.

Russian Ocean Way voyage

The team’s leader, Yevgeny Kovalevsky (from Tomsk), and its captain, Stanislav Beryozkin (from Novosibirsk), began the round-the-world voyage "In the Footsteps of Russian Circumnavigators" under the auspices of the Tomsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society, departing from Kronstadt on July 1, 2021. They followed the same routes once explored by Ivan Krusenstern (1770-1846), Fyodor Litke (1797-1882), and Thaddeus Bellingshausen (1778-1852).

On February 28, 2023, the team started crossing the Pacific Ocean, where they suffered a shipwreck and lost their trimaran. They used a similar vessel, a sailing inflatable catamaran, to continue the expedition. However, in early September 2023, near Australia, the catamaran was attacked by sharks. The crew was rescued, but the voyagers were left without a vessel and equipment. In Australia, a philanthropist provided the sailors with a hard-hulled sailing ship to continue their journey.