The Russian Foreign Ministry called the rescue of Russian traveler Sergei Ananov a good example of Russian-Canadian cooperation in the Arctic.

"We would like to thank the Canadian authorities for their quick response that made it possible to save Sergei Ananov, a Russian amateur helicopter pilot, who crashed while flying solo from North America to Greenland via Davis Strait. The search for Mr. Ananov involved considerable manpower and resources that were provided by the Royal Canadian Air Force, Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard," the ministry said in a statement.

On June 13, Mr. Ananov took off in his helicopter from the Moscow Region for a solo flight around the world. While flying from the Canadian coast to Greenland, he was forced to make an emergency water landing and then found his way to a drifting ice floe. Canadian rescue teams found him after two days.