DHAKA, Aug 6 - A Bangladeshi school student has joined a prestigious international scientific expedition to the North Pole aboard Russia’s nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory), representing Bangladesh alongside outstanding students from 21 other countries.
The 10-day Arctic voyage officially commenced from the Russian port city of Murmansk under Rosatom’s international educational program, Icebreaker of Knowledge 2026. The expedition will take participants across the Barents Sea to the geographic North Pole before continuing to the Franz Josef Land archipelago and returning to Murmansk.
Bangladesh is represented by Md. Malekul Salehin Prottoy, a Class X student of Rajshahi Cadet College. He secured his place after emerging as one of the winners of the seventh edition of the Icebreaker of Knowledge competition, which attracted nearly 5,000 students from 22 countries, including Bangladesh, India, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Türkiye and Vietnam.
Expressing his excitement before departure, Prottoy said travelling to the Arctic was a dream he had never imagined would come true.
“From Bangladesh, the Arctic feels unimaginably distant. I am thrilled and deeply honoured to represent my country on this extraordinary journey.”
Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said the Arctic serves as a platform where science, innovation and ambitious ideas come together. He noted that the expedition offers young participants a unique opportunity to witness Russia’s nuclear-powered icebreaker technology while inspiring them to pursue careers in science, technology and environmental stewardship.
During the expedition, students will observe the operation of a nuclear-powered icebreaker, study the Arctic ecosystem and explore the role of nuclear technology in Arctic navigation. The program also includes lectures, scientific experiments, workshops, discussions, career guidance sessions and interactive activities led by experts in nuclear science, marine research and advanced technologies.
One of the expedition’s most symbolic moments will see participants raise their national flags at the geographic North Pole (90°N). The program also features a collaborative science-fiction writing workshop with renowned Russian author Sergey Lukyanenko, with the students’ jointly written story to be published after the expedition.
The Icebreaker of Knowledge program is designed to promote science, technology and nuclear education among students aged 14 to 16 while identifying and nurturing future scientific talent worldwide. Since its launch, the initiative has taken more than 400 students from around the globe on educational expeditions to the North Pole.
Russia remains the world’s only country operating a fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. Managed by Rosatom’s enterprise FSUE Atomflot, the fleet currently comprises eight nuclear-powered vessels supporting navigation along the Northern Sea Route, the shortest maritime corridor linking western Eurasia with the Asia-Pacific region.
