Members of the 18th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition have begun testing and commissioning new equipment that arrived at Belarusian Antarctic Station in late January 2026 on the research vessel “Academician Fedorov”. This equipment primarily involves modern wastewater treatment facilities, which are expected to significantly improve the station's environmental standards. Testing of the structure is aimed at verifying its efficiency and resistance to extreme conditions. In parallel, a new drilling rig designed for geocryological research and deep sampling is being tested, as well as a GAZ-3344 all-terrain vehicle for use in extreme conditions.

As part of the 18th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition, the scientific program continues to be fully implemented: continuous meteorological monitoring, lidar and spectrometric studies of the atmosphere, experiments to study biodiversity and assess anthropogenic impact, including sampling for microplastic analysis. The snow and ice runway at Vechernyaya Mountain continues to function as an important logistics hub for international Antarctic programs, with polar explorers providing round-the-clock operations, navigation services, and refueling for airflights.

The current stage of the expedition, as Vladimir Ryzhikov, Director of the Republican Polar Research Center of the NAS of Belarus, emphasized, marks the beginning of a new cycle of work combining in-depth scientific research with large-scale infrastructure modernization, laying the foundation for the development of Belarusian Antarctic program over the next five years.