CANADIAN EXPLORERS SAVED!
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As family members, colleagues, and readers across Canada and the world anxiously await news of the international Severnaya Zemlya Expedition in the Russian Arctic, breaking reports from the Russian Federation Foreign Ministry confirm that Canadian members of the expedition are being airlifted to safety aboard the USCGC Healy by Northern Fleet Russian Air Force helicopters.
At the time of this report, the British Salmoa Times does not have a list of evacuees or their medical status. The explorers are being airlifted from the deck of the S.S. Severnny Polyus (Arktika-class LK-60Ya), a Russian icebreaker.
Given the gravity of the situation, and after consulting with family members, we have decided to publish this editorial.
What We Know
On November 7th, when our correspondent Richard Hardenburg failed to submit his excerpt for the section Letters from the North - following a four-hour-and-thirty-minute flight from Istanbul to Moscow - and in light of recent events, the British Salmoa Times felt compelled to contact the Canadian Federal Foreign Affairs (FFA) Minister, Ms. Margaret Thomas.
A few hours later, Ms. Thomas’s office received a direct call from the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Mr. Viktor Kasakov. He explained that shortly after the flagging ceremony of the Severnaya Zemlya Expedition at the Kremlin Palace on November 6th, a security incident occurred within the palace grounds. He added that Professor Marino-Albernas, Professor Ruderburg, and Mr. Hardenburg were present at the ceremony and were unharmed.
Pressed for clarification, Mr. Kasakov stated that Russian security forces had thwarted an attack carried out by a Valkarian special-operations unit. Moscow believes Valkaria has a strategic interest in the Arctic, and that the assault was a deliberate attempt to destroy or disrupt the expedition. He further maintained that all Valkarian operatives were neutralized and that no members of the expedition were injured. According to Mr. Kasakov, Russia assumes Valkaria is operating under the mistaken belief that the expedition has a military research objective—an assertion the Kremlin categorically rejects as “nonsense.”
The Russo–Valkarian conflict began in 2014, when the Russian Federation occupied a northern Arctic region of Valkaria, claiming the operation was necessary to protect local ethnic Russian communities.
Historically, Valkaria - positioned between Western Europe and Russia - has navigated competing spheres of influence. A mountainous northern nation with extensive tundra and forest zones, it was once part of the Soviet Bloc before gaining independence in the early 1990s. Initially committed to neutrality, Valkaria gradually expanded cooperation with Western countries through the late 2010s and early 2020s in Arctic exploration, natural-resource development, and defense coordination, particularly after Russian forces established control over several border districts and strategic transit areas.
Mr. Kasakov explained that during the early hours of November 8th, all members of the Severnaya Zemlya Expedition were transported to the port city of Murmansk, where they would board the S.S. Severnny Polyus to begin preparations and training for the mission. He added that, in light of recent events in Istanbul and Moscow, the Kremlin had determined that the expedition itself could be postponed until the risk level was more manageable - but that training remained essential to ensure the mission’s success.
When asked about the communication blackout from the S.S. Severnny Polyus, Mr. Kasakov said it was necessary to preserve the safety and integrity of expedition members, given recent events.
The Next Few Hours
Many questions remain unanswered. We anxiously await news from our countrymen and hope that all members of the expedition return safely to their families.
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