Press releases
Belarusian student to sail to North Pole on nuclear icebreaker in international expedition
Photo by the Rosatom State Corporation
MINSK, 24 June (BelTA) - A school student from Belarus will take part in an international expedition to the North Pole aboard a nuclear icebreaker, BelTA learned from the press service of the Rosatom State Corporation country office in Belarus.
The results of the seventh season of the international scientific and educational project Icebreaker of Knowledge, organized with the support of Rosatom, were announced at the ATOM Museum in Moscow on 23 June. The names of the winners who will set off on an expedition to the North Pole aboard the nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy in August were revealed. Among them is a Belarusian school student - Tikhon Korneyenko, a student at Vitebsk Gymnasium No. 1 named after Zh.I. Alferov.
“Icebreaker of Knowledge is a scientific and educational platform that gives every participant a chance not only to visit the Arctic but also to learn a great deal about nuclear energy and high technologies in general, and to interact with Rosatom specialists. I hope to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience. Representing Belarus on the upcoming expedition is a great honor and responsibility for me,” he said.
Around 5,000 talented school students aged 14 to 16 from Belarus, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Hungary, Vietnam, Armenia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Rwanda, Serbia, Tanzania, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and South Africa competed in the international track of the competition for a place on the unique Arctic expedition. The highest number of applications came from Kazakhstan (945 participants), Kyrgyzstan (827 participants), and Belarus (464 participants).
The international selection began on 5 May and was held in three stages. In the first stage, participants answered questions in a science quiz to test their knowledge of the natural sciences, breakthrough technologies, nuclear energy, and the exploration of the Arctic. The second stage featured a series of webinars from nuclear industry experts, covering Rosatom’s cutting-edge solutions, including technologies used for safe and sustainable Arctic navigation, and the role of nuclear energy in the future of the global economy and science. Based on the combined scores from both stages, ten finalists from each country were selected for the final stage, where they presented creative works on the theme How Nuclear Technology Is Changing the World Today.
The finalists’ entries were evaluated by an international jury comprising representatives from the nuclear industry, science, education, the Arctic agenda, and science communications.
“Initiatives like Icebreaker of Knowledge play a very important role in sparking young people’s interest in nuclear technology and science and engineering careers. They give school students the opportunity to see science not as something complex and distant, but as a living, modern, and promising field where they can realize their potential and contribute to the future. It is especially valuable that the project combines education, practical engagement with the industry, and a strong motivational component: participants begin to understand how valuable knowledge, engineering thinking, and international cooperation are in today’s world. I am confident that projects like these help young people make informed career choices and inspire a new generation to pursue science and engineering,” said Chanto Khyn, a member of the international jury of Icebreaker of Knowledge 2026, Russian Nuclear Education Ambassador, and student at the Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI.
A rich scientific and educational program is planned aboard the nuclear-powered icebreaker, featuring Russian and foreign experts from the nuclear industry - lectures, workshops, scientific experiments, and other interactive activities.
The scientific and educational project Icebreaker of Knowledge is organized with the support of the Rosatom State Corporation. It aims to promote the natural sciences and nuclear technologies, identify and support talented and gifted children, develop their abilities, and guide them toward careers in these fields. The list of winners of the international selection competition is available on the project’s official website - goarctic.energy.
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