PUTIN đź’“GLOBAL WARMING
On thin ice: Near North Pole, a warning on climate changeIssued on: 08/09/2021 -
'The bears are the bosses here, this is their home,' says Dmitry Lobusov
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
North Pole (AFP)
A massive icebreaker cuts its way through the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean, clearing a path to the North Pole, all white as far as the eye can see. But even here, the impact of climate change can be felt.
Dmitry Lobusov has seen it. For 13 years he has captained the "50 Let Pobedy" ("50 Years of Victory"), part of a growing fleet of icebreakers that Russia is using to assert its power in Arctic waters.
The vast, nuclear-powered ships clear paths through the ice for commercial vessels, helping Russia to deliver its oil, gas and minerals to the rest of world, and eventually to set up an Arctic shipping route between Asia and Europe that Moscow has touted as a rival to the Suez Canal.
Lobusov, a 57-year-old with a grey beard who often has a pipe in hand, stares out from the bridge as the red-and-black ship ploughs forward, so silent you can hear the ice cracking under its hull.
North Pole (AFP)
A massive icebreaker cuts its way through the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean, clearing a path to the North Pole, all white as far as the eye can see. But even here, the impact of climate change can be felt.
Dmitry Lobusov has seen it. For 13 years he has captained the "50 Let Pobedy" ("50 Years of Victory"), part of a growing fleet of icebreakers that Russia is using to assert its power in Arctic waters.
The vast, nuclear-powered ships clear paths through the ice for commercial vessels, helping Russia to deliver its oil, gas and minerals to the rest of world, and eventually to set up an Arctic shipping route between Asia and Europe that Moscow has touted as a rival to the Suez Canal.
Lobusov, a 57-year-old with a grey beard who often has a pipe in hand, stares out from the bridge as the red-and-black ship ploughs forward, so silent you can hear the ice cracking under its hull.
The melting of the Arctic ice pack Simon MALFATTO AFP
After nearly 30 years at sea, much of it in the Arctic, Lobusov has seen first hand the changes wrought by global warming.
"In the 1990s and early 2000s the ice was more difficult and thicker," says the sailor, his blue uniform immaculate.
"There used to be a lot of perennial ice," he says, referring to ice that forms on the surface of polar oceans and survives for multiple melting seasons.
"We hardly see that kind of ice anymore."
Perennial ice is thicker and stronger because it forms over several years and loses salt, Lobusov explains, making it harder for the icebreaker to cut a path. But today, most of the ice cover is formed during the year and quickly melts in the summer.
- Melting ice cover -
Scientists say there is no doubt that this is climate change at work.
Russia's Rosgidromet meteorological service said in a report in March that the Arctic ice cover is now five to seven times thinner than in the 1980s, and in the summer months the waters are becoming increasingly free of ice.
In September 2020, the ice cover in the Russian Arctic hit a low of 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 square miles) -- a record for that time of year -- the report said.
After nearly 30 years at sea, much of it in the Arctic, Lobusov has seen first hand the changes wrought by global warming.
"In the 1990s and early 2000s the ice was more difficult and thicker," says the sailor, his blue uniform immaculate.
"There used to be a lot of perennial ice," he says, referring to ice that forms on the surface of polar oceans and survives for multiple melting seasons.
"We hardly see that kind of ice anymore."
Perennial ice is thicker and stronger because it forms over several years and loses salt, Lobusov explains, making it harder for the icebreaker to cut a path. But today, most of the ice cover is formed during the year and quickly melts in the summer.
- Melting ice cover -
Scientists say there is no doubt that this is climate change at work.
Russia's Rosgidromet meteorological service said in a report in March that the Arctic ice cover is now five to seven times thinner than in the 1980s, and in the summer months the waters are becoming increasingly free of ice.
In September 2020, the ice cover in the Russian Arctic hit a low of 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 square miles) -- a record for that time of year -- the report said.
Vladimir Putin has moved away from climate scepticism and ordered his government to develop a plan to cut carbon emissions
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
Russia, a third of which is within the Arctic circle, is warming faster than the global average, it said, with temperatures having risen by half a degree per decade since 1976.
Long a sceptic of climate change, President Vladimir Putin has changed course in recent years, ordering his government to develop a plan to cut carbon emissions to below the level of the European Union by 2050.
As wildfires raged in Siberia this summer, Putin said he was alarmed by a series of "absolutely unprecedented" natural disasters in Russia.
Viktor Boyarsky, a 70-year-old seasoned Polar explorer who was travelling aboard the icebreaker, admits that global warming exists. But he says human activity "does not play a key role" and that its effects are not irreversible, despite the abundance of evidence to the contrary.
The former director of Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Museum, Boyarsky says the region is stuck in a vicious circle as retreating ice cover allows the warmer waters of the Atlantic to enter the Arctic basin.
Russia, a third of which is within the Arctic circle, is warming faster than the global average, it said, with temperatures having risen by half a degree per decade since 1976.
Long a sceptic of climate change, President Vladimir Putin has changed course in recent years, ordering his government to develop a plan to cut carbon emissions to below the level of the European Union by 2050.
As wildfires raged in Siberia this summer, Putin said he was alarmed by a series of "absolutely unprecedented" natural disasters in Russia.
Viktor Boyarsky, a 70-year-old seasoned Polar explorer who was travelling aboard the icebreaker, admits that global warming exists. But he says human activity "does not play a key role" and that its effects are not irreversible, despite the abundance of evidence to the contrary.
The former director of Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Museum, Boyarsky says the region is stuck in a vicious circle as retreating ice cover allows the warmer waters of the Atlantic to enter the Arctic basin.
After nearly 30 years at sea, much of it in the Arctic, Dmitry Lobusov has seen first hand the changes wrought by global warming
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
"It's a chain reaction process. Less ice means more water and more heat," he says, standing in the mist that envelopes the ice shelves of the North Pole.
- 'We are just guests' -
After his many years at sea, icebreaker captain Lobusov says the changes in the Arctic are undeniable.
Along with the thinner Arctic ice, he says the North Pole is now covered in fog in the summer.
"It's a chain reaction process. Less ice means more water and more heat," he says, standing in the mist that envelopes the ice shelves of the North Pole.
- 'We are just guests' -
After his many years at sea, icebreaker captain Lobusov says the changes in the Arctic are undeniable.
Along with the thinner Arctic ice, he says the North Pole is now covered in fog in the summer.
Russia, a third of which is within the Arctic circle, is warming faster than the global average, according to the Rosgidromet meteorological service
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
"I think it's also the effect of warming, there is more humidity in the air," he says.
He has also seen glaciers shrinking in the Arctic, like on the Franz Josef Land archipelago of more than 190 islands.
"Many glaciers are receding towards the centre of the islands from where they are on the map," he says.
"There are no questions here, without a doubt this is the effect of the heat."
Lobusov's "50 Years of Victory" -- part of a fleet of icebreakers operated by state atomic energy corporation Rosatom -- has reached the North Pole 59 times and on this trip is carrying a group of teenagers who won a contest to travel aboard.
As the 160-metre (525-foot) ship passes off the coast of Prince George Land -- an island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago -- a polar bear wanders across the ice, watching the vessel.
"The bears are the bosses here, this is their home," Lobusov says. "We are just guests."
© 2021 AFP
"I think it's also the effect of warming, there is more humidity in the air," he says.
He has also seen glaciers shrinking in the Arctic, like on the Franz Josef Land archipelago of more than 190 islands.
"Many glaciers are receding towards the centre of the islands from where they are on the map," he says.
"There are no questions here, without a doubt this is the effect of the heat."
Lobusov's "50 Years of Victory" -- part of a fleet of icebreakers operated by state atomic energy corporation Rosatom -- has reached the North Pole 59 times and on this trip is carrying a group of teenagers who won a contest to travel aboard.
As the 160-metre (525-foot) ship passes off the coast of Prince George Land -- an island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago -- a polar bear wanders across the ice, watching the vessel.
"The bears are the bosses here, this is their home," Lobusov says. "We are just guests."
© 2021 AFP
Moscow vies for Arctic clout with nuclear icebreaker fleet
Issued on: 08/09/2021 -
Issued on: 08/09/2021 -
Moscow sees the development of the Arctic as a historic mission
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
Aboard the '50 Years of Victory' (Russia) (AFP)
As Arctic ice cover recedes with climate change, Russia is pinning its hopes for supremacy in the warming region on a fleet of giant nuclear-powered icebreakers.
Moscow sees the development of the Arctic as a historic mission and already has huge projects to exploit its natural resources.
Its next big plan is for year-round use of the Northern Sea Route, a shipping lane through Arctic waters Russia hopes could rival the Suez Canal.
Here are some key facts about Russia's plans for the Arctic:
- Historic ambitions -
As an icebreaker called the "50 Years of Victory" left the port of Murmansk for the North Pole this summer, its captain told an AFP journalist on board that Russia has a special role to play in the Arctic.
"A third of our territory lies above the Arctic Circle. Our ancestors have long mastered frozen waters. We are continuing this successfully," Dmitry Lobusov said.
President Vladimir Putin has made the development of the Arctic a strategic priority and state companies such as Gazprom Neft, Norilsk Nickel and Rosneft already have major projects in the Arctic to extract oil, gas and minerals.
"The Arctic region has enormous potential," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this month.
"In terms of resources, we're talking about 15 billion tonnes of oil and 100 trillion cubic metres of gas. Enough for tens if not hundreds of years," he said.
- Suez alternative -
The Northern Sea Route links the Pacific to the Atlantic through Russian Arctic waters.
It is not currently navigable year-round without the help of icebreakers, though in summer some specialised classes of ships can pass through.
With the ice cover receding, Moscow is aiming for year-round navigation by 2030.
The route between east Asia and Europe is considerably shorter than through the Suez Canal.
When a huge container ship blocked the busy Suez shipping lane in March, Moscow touted the Northern Sea passage as a "viable alternative".
Russia hopes to boost traffic through the route from nearly 33 million tonnes of cargo in 2020 to 80 million tonnes by 2024 and 160 million by 2035 -- still a long way off from the billion tonnes that pass through the Suez Canal every year.
Aboard the '50 Years of Victory' (Russia) (AFP)
As Arctic ice cover recedes with climate change, Russia is pinning its hopes for supremacy in the warming region on a fleet of giant nuclear-powered icebreakers.
Moscow sees the development of the Arctic as a historic mission and already has huge projects to exploit its natural resources.
Its next big plan is for year-round use of the Northern Sea Route, a shipping lane through Arctic waters Russia hopes could rival the Suez Canal.
Here are some key facts about Russia's plans for the Arctic:
- Historic ambitions -
As an icebreaker called the "50 Years of Victory" left the port of Murmansk for the North Pole this summer, its captain told an AFP journalist on board that Russia has a special role to play in the Arctic.
"A third of our territory lies above the Arctic Circle. Our ancestors have long mastered frozen waters. We are continuing this successfully," Dmitry Lobusov said.
President Vladimir Putin has made the development of the Arctic a strategic priority and state companies such as Gazprom Neft, Norilsk Nickel and Rosneft already have major projects in the Arctic to extract oil, gas and minerals.
"The Arctic region has enormous potential," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this month.
"In terms of resources, we're talking about 15 billion tonnes of oil and 100 trillion cubic metres of gas. Enough for tens if not hundreds of years," he said.
- Suez alternative -
The Northern Sea Route links the Pacific to the Atlantic through Russian Arctic waters.
It is not currently navigable year-round without the help of icebreakers, though in summer some specialised classes of ships can pass through.
With the ice cover receding, Moscow is aiming for year-round navigation by 2030.
The route between east Asia and Europe is considerably shorter than through the Suez Canal.
When a huge container ship blocked the busy Suez shipping lane in March, Moscow touted the Northern Sea passage as a "viable alternative".
Russia hopes to boost traffic through the route from nearly 33 million tonnes of cargo in 2020 to 80 million tonnes by 2024 and 160 million by 2035 -- still a long way off from the billion tonnes that pass through the Suez Canal every year.
Russia hopes to boost traffic through the Northern Sea Route over the coming years Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
Russia's state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, which is developing the route and icebreaker fleet, says 735 billion rubles ($10 billion/8.5 billion euros) will be invested by 2024, including 274 billion rubles in state money.
- Growing fleet -
Rosatom, which already has a fleet of five icebreakers and a container ship, is building four more nuclear-powered vessels within the next five years.
Each ship costs more than $400 million (340 million euros) to build. Construction requires more than 1,000 people and takes five to seven years.
Russia's state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, which is developing the route and icebreaker fleet, says 735 billion rubles ($10 billion/8.5 billion euros) will be invested by 2024, including 274 billion rubles in state money.
- Growing fleet -
Rosatom, which already has a fleet of five icebreakers and a container ship, is building four more nuclear-powered vessels within the next five years.
Each ship costs more than $400 million (340 million euros) to build. Construction requires more than 1,000 people and takes five to seven years.
Russia has a fleet of five icebreakers and a container ship and is building four more nuclear-powered vessels within the next five years
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
The ships are designed to resist extreme weather conditions, towering 52 metres (170 feet) high with a length of 173 metres (568 feet) and able to smash through ice up to 2.8 metres (9.2 feet) thick.
No other country operates a comparable fleet, with the United States and China mostly using diesel-electric icebreakers.
- Environmental worries -
Environmental groups have slammed the race for hydrocarbons and the increased presence of nuclear reactors in the Arctic -- an already fragile ecosystem dramatically affected by climate change.
Greenpeace has said that "the incident-ridden history of Russian nuclear icebreakers and submarines" should cause alarm.
The ships are designed to resist extreme weather conditions, towering 52 metres (170 feet) high with a length of 173 metres (568 feet) and able to smash through ice up to 2.8 metres (9.2 feet) thick.
No other country operates a comparable fleet, with the United States and China mostly using diesel-electric icebreakers.
- Environmental worries -
Environmental groups have slammed the race for hydrocarbons and the increased presence of nuclear reactors in the Arctic -- an already fragile ecosystem dramatically affected by climate change.
Greenpeace has said that "the incident-ridden history of Russian nuclear icebreakers and submarines" should cause alarm.
Environmental groups have slammed the race for hydrocarbons and the increased presence of nuclear reactors in the already fragile
Arctic Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
"Of course, risks arise when implementing projects in such a fragile ecosystem," Rosatom told AFP in a statement in response to environmental concerns.
But, it said, the "economic opportunities for both the local population and global economy" of the Northern Sea Route exceed environmental risks.
apo-ea-vvl-oc/jbr/mm/yad
© 2021 AFP
"Of course, risks arise when implementing projects in such a fragile ecosystem," Rosatom told AFP in a statement in response to environmental concerns.
But, it said, the "economic opportunities for both the local population and global economy" of the Northern Sea Route exceed environmental risks.
apo-ea-vvl-oc/jbr/mm/yad
© 2021 AFP
Issued on: 08/09/2021 -
Passengers, including a gaggle of high school students who won places on the trip in a competition, stepped onto the ice at the North Pole
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
North Pole (AFP)
Smoking a pipe and looking out over the vast, icy Arctic, captain Dmitry Lobusov sounds his ship's horn to signal to passengers they are near their destination: the North Pole.
The Arctic Ocean is too deep to drop anchor, but a thick ice embankment offers a dock for Lobusov's giant vessel -- one among Russia's growing fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers.
The 160-metre (525-foot) ship called "50 Let Pobedy" ("50 Years of Victory") reduces speed.
"Take a left, we'll stop here," Lobusov tells Diana Kidzhi, his second in command and the most senior woman in Russia's nuclear icebreaker fleet.
Thirty minutes later, the giant red-and-black ship is stopped within short walking distance of Earth's most northerly point.
"Well done," Lobusov says, shaking Kidzhi's hand and disembarking from the deck.
The passengers, including a gaggle of high school students who won places on the trip in a competition, step onto the slippery ice to take photos.
The ice they're standing on -- directly above the ocean floor marking the North Pole -- is shifting in Arctic currents, slowly taking them away from the Pole.
"You always find your own North Pole," says Viktor Boyarsky, a 70-year-old Russian explorer returning to the Arctic.
It has taken the icebreaker three and a half days to traverse the 2,400 kilometres (1,500 miles) to the North Pole from Murmansk, the base of Russia's Northern Fleet.
North Pole (AFP)
Smoking a pipe and looking out over the vast, icy Arctic, captain Dmitry Lobusov sounds his ship's horn to signal to passengers they are near their destination: the North Pole.
The Arctic Ocean is too deep to drop anchor, but a thick ice embankment offers a dock for Lobusov's giant vessel -- one among Russia's growing fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers.
The 160-metre (525-foot) ship called "50 Let Pobedy" ("50 Years of Victory") reduces speed.
"Take a left, we'll stop here," Lobusov tells Diana Kidzhi, his second in command and the most senior woman in Russia's nuclear icebreaker fleet.
Thirty minutes later, the giant red-and-black ship is stopped within short walking distance of Earth's most northerly point.
"Well done," Lobusov says, shaking Kidzhi's hand and disembarking from the deck.
The passengers, including a gaggle of high school students who won places on the trip in a competition, step onto the slippery ice to take photos.
The ice they're standing on -- directly above the ocean floor marking the North Pole -- is shifting in Arctic currents, slowly taking them away from the Pole.
"You always find your own North Pole," says Viktor Boyarsky, a 70-year-old Russian explorer returning to the Arctic.
It has taken the icebreaker three and a half days to traverse the 2,400 kilometres (1,500 miles) to the North Pole from Murmansk, the base of Russia's Northern Fleet.
Dmitry Lobusov captains the Russian "50 Years of Victory" nuclear-powered icebreaker Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
The journey is only possible in summer, when ice cover is at its lowest. Climate change is making the trip gradually easier year by year.
Still, the 95-strong crew is alert for masses of ice that could impede the ship's progress.
The bridge is in constant contact with the crew controlling the ship's nuclear reactor.
Vladimir Yudin, the ship's chief mechanical engineer, is in charge of its 75,000-horsepower engine, the equivalent of about 75 Formula 1 racecars.
"We have 1,144 settings to manage and just as many sensors that need to be checked regularly," Yudin says.
The engine propels forward the ship's body, which is designed to cut through ice. The front is spoon-shaped, Lobusov explains.
"This allows us to get stuck in ice less often and to better penetrate it," says the 57-year-old, who has spent close to half his life in the Arctic.
© 2021 AFP
The journey is only possible in summer, when ice cover is at its lowest. Climate change is making the trip gradually easier year by year.
Still, the 95-strong crew is alert for masses of ice that could impede the ship's progress.
The bridge is in constant contact with the crew controlling the ship's nuclear reactor.
Vladimir Yudin, the ship's chief mechanical engineer, is in charge of its 75,000-horsepower engine, the equivalent of about 75 Formula 1 racecars.
"We have 1,144 settings to manage and just as many sensors that need to be checked regularly," Yudin says.
The engine propels forward the ship's body, which is designed to cut through ice. The front is spoon-shaped, Lobusov explains.
"This allows us to get stuck in ice less often and to better penetrate it," says the 57-year-old, who has spent close to half his life in the Arctic.
© 2021 AFP
Breaking barriers: Russian woman leads the way on Arctic ship
Issued on: 08/09/2021 -
Issued on: 08/09/2021 -
Diana Kidzhi, 27, is the most senior woman in Russia's growing nuclear icebreaker fleet
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
Aboard the '50 Years of Victory' (Russia) (AFP)
Peering through her binoculars at icebergs ahead, Diana Kidzhi shouts at the helmsman of a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker approaching the North Pole: "Ten degrees left!"
At just 27, Kidzhi is a chief mate -- second in command to the captain -- and sets the path the giant vessel will take through the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Standing on the bridge of the ship, she is surrounded by screens relaying information from dozens of sensors. One tells her the thickness of the ice several kilometres away.
A tiny white spot appears in her binoculars. Kidzhi immediately identifies a polar bear and tells the bridge crew -- all men and many much older -- to slow down so the ship does not disturb its hunting.
They follow her command and the sound of ice cracking beneath the ship begins to fade.
Kidzhi is the most senior woman in Russia's growing nuclear icebreaker fleet -- owned by state atomic energy corporation Rosatom -- which Moscow hopes will secure its supremacy over the Arctic as climate change makes it more navigable.
One of three chief mates aboard the "50 Let Pobedy" ("50 Years of Victory"), Kidzhi is breaking stereotypes in a country where many male-dominated professions are still off limits to women.
There are nine other women on the ship, working in the kitchen, the infirmary and as cleaners.
Aboard the '50 Years of Victory' (Russia) (AFP)
Peering through her binoculars at icebergs ahead, Diana Kidzhi shouts at the helmsman of a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker approaching the North Pole: "Ten degrees left!"
At just 27, Kidzhi is a chief mate -- second in command to the captain -- and sets the path the giant vessel will take through the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Standing on the bridge of the ship, she is surrounded by screens relaying information from dozens of sensors. One tells her the thickness of the ice several kilometres away.
A tiny white spot appears in her binoculars. Kidzhi immediately identifies a polar bear and tells the bridge crew -- all men and many much older -- to slow down so the ship does not disturb its hunting.
They follow her command and the sound of ice cracking beneath the ship begins to fade.
Kidzhi is the most senior woman in Russia's growing nuclear icebreaker fleet -- owned by state atomic energy corporation Rosatom -- which Moscow hopes will secure its supremacy over the Arctic as climate change makes it more navigable.
One of three chief mates aboard the "50 Let Pobedy" ("50 Years of Victory"), Kidzhi is breaking stereotypes in a country where many male-dominated professions are still off limits to women.
There are nine other women on the ship, working in the kitchen, the infirmary and as cleaners.
Kidzhi is breaking stereotypes in a country where many male-dominated professions are still off-limits to women
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
The rest of the 95-strong crew are men, several of whom said they were not very happy taking orders from a woman.
But Kidzhi is reluctant to talk about sexism, focusing instead on her determination to excel at her job.
- 'Knocking on a closed door' -
During four-hour shifts in the morning and evening, Kidzhi is in charge of the ship's heading as it sails through the Arctic for four months at a time.
Like most of the crew, Kidzhi is from Russia's second city and naval stronghold of Saint Petersburg.
As a child, she dreamed of working at sea.
Initially, she wanted to join the Russian navy. But while Saint Petersburg's Naval Institute was closed to women, another maritime university specialising in commercial shipping opened a course to women students just as she finished school.
The rest of the 95-strong crew are men, several of whom said they were not very happy taking orders from a woman.
But Kidzhi is reluctant to talk about sexism, focusing instead on her determination to excel at her job.
- 'Knocking on a closed door' -
During four-hour shifts in the morning and evening, Kidzhi is in charge of the ship's heading as it sails through the Arctic for four months at a time.
Like most of the crew, Kidzhi is from Russia's second city and naval stronghold of Saint Petersburg.
As a child, she dreamed of working at sea.
Initially, she wanted to join the Russian navy. But while Saint Petersburg's Naval Institute was closed to women, another maritime university specialising in commercial shipping opened a course to women students just as she finished school.
One of Kidzhi's fellow chief mates says she is setting a precedent
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
"I took it as a sign. What's the point of knocking on a closed door when a path opens up in front of you," she says.
Shortly after graduating, she was invited to join an icebreaker fleet, "immediately falling in love".
In 2018, she joined the "50 Years of Victory" -- her first nuclear-powered ship.
She thrives on the "force you can feel" while operating the ship, which she says is incomparable to a diesel-powered vessel.
She quickly rose through the ranks on the icebreakers and has since sailed around the Arctic dozens of times and made nine voyages to the North Pole.
Kidzhi admits that when she first joined the ship, the crew looked at her with suspicion.
One of her fellow chief mates, 45-year-old Dmitry Nikitin, says she is setting a precedent.
"There are strong opponents of having a woman as part of the fleet. There is a feeling that a woman on a ship is bad luck," he says.
"I took it as a sign. What's the point of knocking on a closed door when a path opens up in front of you," she says.
Shortly after graduating, she was invited to join an icebreaker fleet, "immediately falling in love".
In 2018, she joined the "50 Years of Victory" -- her first nuclear-powered ship.
She thrives on the "force you can feel" while operating the ship, which she says is incomparable to a diesel-powered vessel.
She quickly rose through the ranks on the icebreakers and has since sailed around the Arctic dozens of times and made nine voyages to the North Pole.
Kidzhi admits that when she first joined the ship, the crew looked at her with suspicion.
One of her fellow chief mates, 45-year-old Dmitry Nikitin, says she is setting a precedent.
"There are strong opponents of having a woman as part of the fleet. There is a feeling that a woman on a ship is bad luck," he says.
While Saint Petersburg's Naval Institute was closed to women, another maritime university specialising in commercial shipping opened a course to female students just as Kidzhi finished school
Ekaterina ANISIMOVA AFP
"But we are slowly coming out of this belief."
Sergei Barinov, a 56-year-old deck officer on the icebreaker, says it's Kidzhi's age -- not her gender -- that is exceptional.
He hopes new icebreakers currently being built by Moscow will employ more young Russians.
Rosatomflot told AFP that a woman is serving on another one of its vessels, the "Yamal", but as a deck officer so in a lower-ranked position than Kidzhi.
"I aim to become captain one day," Kidzhi says.
video-ea-oc/mm/kjm
© 2021 AFP
"But we are slowly coming out of this belief."
Sergei Barinov, a 56-year-old deck officer on the icebreaker, says it's Kidzhi's age -- not her gender -- that is exceptional.
He hopes new icebreakers currently being built by Moscow will employ more young Russians.
Rosatomflot told AFP that a woman is serving on another one of its vessels, the "Yamal", but as a deck officer so in a lower-ranked position than Kidzhi.
"I aim to become captain one day," Kidzhi says.
video-ea-oc/mm/kjm
© 2021 AFP
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