Vladimir Putin
© RIA Novosti. Alexei Druzhinin

Vladimir Putin congratulates polar explorers on their professional holiday

President Vladimir Putin has congratulated polar explorers and staff of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (RosHydroMet) on their professional holiday, Polar Explorers’ Day, the Kremlin’s press service writes.

“This holiday unites people from different professions who have devoted their lives to the difficult and highly important work of exploring the Arctic and Antarctica. Many generations of your predecessors served the Fatherland faithfully, making their contribution to strengthening its economy, defence capacity and scientific potential,” the message reads.

Polar Explorers’ Day was established by presidential order two years ago. On this day in 1937, the first Soviet manned drifting station in the Arctic Ocean, North Pole-1, started operations.