Ukrainian polar explorers fulfilled the dream of the defender of Mariupol.

Ukrainian polar explorers raised the flag of the National Guard brigade 'Azov' near the 'Akademik Vernadsky' station on Galindez Island. This is a tribute to the military personnel and the realization of the dream of Mariupol defender Valeria Subotina, known by the pseudonym Nava. This was reported by the National Antarctic Scientific Center.

The military Nava wrote a letter to the polar explorers in May 2022 when she was surrounded by Russian troops in Azovstal. In her letter, she noted that she would like to spend the winter in Antarctica, which became an additional motivation for her.

After returning to Ukraine in April 2023, Valeria, along with her sister Maria Gerda Cheh, set off for Antarctica in December 2024. They intended to visit the 'Akademik Vernadsky' station.

However, due to bad weather conditions, the polar explorers could not reach the station. The captain of the vessel decided to turn the ship back due to a strong storm several dozen kilometers from the scientific base.

The adverse situation did not stop the polar explorers. They promised that they would do everything possible for Nava and Gerda to be able to visit the 'Akademik Vernadsky' station in the future. In the meantime, they decided to raise the 'Azov' flag over the station to remind the world of the war in Ukraine and the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

The flag was delivered to the station by members of the Ukrainian expedition, and polar explorer Yuriy Lysenko raised it on the flagpole. Lysenko was seriously injured at the front but returned to Antarctica.

The defender of Mariupol, Valeria Subotina, married Andriy in the basement of the 'Azovstal' plant, where they were surrounded by occupiers. During the assault, Andriy was killed by Russian invaders. The couple got married in the ruins of the plant on May 5, the day of the creation of the Separate Special Purpose Detachment 'Azov'.