Over 200 specialists from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) are currently working in the Arctic, Vladimir Sokolov, head of the AARI high-latitude Arctic expedition, said at a news conference dedicated to Polar Explorer day at Rossiya Segodnya.

According to Mr. Sokolov, two stations — the Russian Scientific Center at Barentsburg, Svalbard, and a facility on Severnaya Zemlya — are active in the Arctic today.

In April 2016, it was decided to create a Russian Arctic research expedition to support Russian Scientific Center operations on Svalbard.

"The goal for now is to consolidate the Svalbard operations at the national level and to merge, based on this expedition, all the various other explorations into a powerful expeditionary structure similar to the Russian Antarctic expedition," he said. 

According to the head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, Alexander Frolov, a lot of funds have been invested in Svalbard research.

"We have a fine chemical analysis laboratory there and a satellite receiving center that provides unique Arctic data: the state of the snow and ice cover, pollution, clouds, and other things that are needed for economic security," he said.

Vladimir Sokolov also reported that there were about 30 researchers on Severnaya Zemlya who were conducting breakthrough research under the harsh Arctic conditions. "These data are in high demand both in Russia and in the world community as a whole," he said.