On May 21, Polar Explorer Day, Rossiya Segodnya international information agency signed a cooperation agreement with the Association of Polar Explorers. The agreement provides for cooperation in pursuing Russian state policy in the Arctic and Antarctic, and is aimed at increasing the prestige and popularity of polar professions.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi attended the document signing by Rossiya Segodnya Director General Dmitry Kiselev and President of the Association of Polar Explorers NGO Artur Chilingarov.

Polar Explorer Day, celebrated in Russia on May 21, was established in 2013 by an executive order from President Vladimir Putin in recognition of the people in this profession and their achievements.

The agency plans to organize a series of events dedicated to international cooperation in Polar science and Arctic research, and the preservation and protection of northern peoples' culture, languages and traditions in Russia.

At a news briefing dedicated to Polar Explorer Day, Dmitry Kiselev explained how important the Polar professions are and congratulated prominent Russian scientists, oceanographers, explorers of the Arctic and Antarctic, Heroes of Russia Artur Chilingarov and Anatoly Sagalevich, as well as the legendary aviator and Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Lyalin, who took part in the rescuing the Mikhail Somov research vessel from the Antarctic ice in 1985.