Russia marks Arctic Day on 28 February, an occasion dedicated to highlighting the importance of studying one of the world's richest yet most forbidding regions and preserving its unique natural environment.

Rosneft contributes significantly to research in the Far North. Since 2012, the Company has been implementing the largest comprehensive scientific research programme in the Arctic since Soviet times. During this period, 64 expeditions were organised in partnership with leading Russian scientific institutions.

The Company's expeditions are unprecedented in their scale: it conducts research of the northern seas, seabed, coastal zone, glaciers and icebergs, as well as bioindicator species. The work has generated an extensive body of scientific data that deepens understanding of the circumpolar territories and carries practical significance for their future development. Research findings are also published in the company's ecological atlases, which are available to scientists, specialists, students at relevant universities, and the broader public with an interest in the development of Russia's North.

In 2024, Rosneft initiated a new four-year cycle of research as part of Tamura, its corporate programme for preserving the biodiversity of Arctic ecosystems. It aims to update information on the status of the region's key flora and fauna, including the bioindicators. Ten expeditions have already been conducted under the programme, focused on polar bears, wild reindeer, and protected bird and fish species in the northern reaches of Krasnoyarsk Krai.

In 2025, the Company concluded a joint ecological project with Innopraktika in the White Sea. Project participants retraced the route of expeditions conducted between 1922 and 1926 by the prominent Soviet hydrobiologist Konstantin Deryugin, who provided detailed descriptions of the White Sea's flora and fauna. Scientists analyse century-long changes in the region's marine ecosystems using both Deryugin's methods and modern technologies, whilst assessing the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on Arctic ecology. Specialists concluded that the White Sea ecosystem remains stable. However, the research exposed significant gaps in knowledge of Arctic marine fauna: up to 30 per cent of species retain an uncertain taxonomic status — meaning their place within biological classification systems has yet to be firmly established — pointing to the considerable work still required to revise the inventory of Arctic marine life. Nevertheless, specialists succeeded in describing species new to science.

On the innovation front, Rosneft and Innopraktika have jointly developed a microbial preparation called Okeanida, designed to remediate northern seas from hydrocarbon contamination. In 2025, the product received a positive conclusion from the state environmental review. The expert commission has determined that the innovation meets all requirements for environmental protection.

Rosneft also pursues public education in this field. In 2025, the company, together with Innopraktika, launched an online series of popular-science lectures entitled Arctic Wanderer: The Polar Bear, following a 2023 series, Flight Over the Ice: Seabirds of the Russian Arctic. The latter was recognised as a prize-winner at the international Edtek Award competition. Both courses are freely available on the Lektorium educational platform.

Department of Information and Advertising
Rosneft Oil Company
March 2, 2026

Keywords: Environmental news 2026