Russia has reportedly jailed a Ukrainian Antarctic researcher over accusations of economic sabotage. The scientist Leonid Pshenichnov has over 40 years of experience in marine biology, focusing on biological resources in the Southern Ocean. Leonid has spent most of his working life in marine research facilities based in Crimea.
Since the Russian occupation of the peninsula in 2014, Leonid continued to live with his family in Crimea under a Ukrainian passport. Based on his extensive research experience on Antarctica, Leonid has been representing Ukraine at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) since 1996. The organization manages the use of marine living resources in Antarctica, including krill fishing quotas.
According to Ukraine’s National Antarctic Scientific Center, Russian authorities arrested Leonid back in September. This was a few weeks before the annual conference by CCAMLR, which opened this week in Hobart, Australia. While addressing delegates during the opening of the conference, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said that Russia is trying to impede Ukrainian activities in Antarctica.
“CCAMLR has long served as a vital international platform for open discussions and decisions regarding the conservation and sustainable use of Antarctic marine living resources. It is therefore with profound shock that Ukraine learned of the imprisonment of our distinguished scientist by Russian authorities in the occupied territory of Crimea,” commented Myroshnychenko.
Leonid is part of the team of scientists behind the proposal to create new marine protected areas in Antarctica. China and Russia have been opposing the proposal since 2017. Therefore, Russia is charging Leonid for supporting an initiative that harms its economic interests. For this, Leonid becomes the first political prisoner in the history of Antarctica.
Russia has been opposing the expansion of MPAs in Antarctica as it could lead to restrictions on industrial fishing, a key area of its economic activity in the region. In addition, China and Russia are opposed to strict governance in Antarctica, at a time when they are eyeing a bigger influence in the region. In the past few years, Russia has increased research expeditions in Antarctica, with a focus on mapping oil and gas reserves.
