09:00 13.10.2026
From Murmansk to Sabetta: How EMERCOM Ensures Safety along the Northern Sea Route
© RIA Novosti / Dmitriy Dubov
The Arctic is a region of strategic importance. EMERCOM is building a network of rescue centers along the Northern Sea Route. The agency’s priority is to ensure the safety of people working in harsh climatic conditions and the local infrastructure. Arctic.ru takes a look at the people who are responsible for keeping the Arctic route a safe working environment and the number of rescue centers that are already operating along the Northern Sea Route.
Rescue Outposts across the Arctic
The Northern Sea Route’s safety system is built around Arctic Integrated Emergency Rescue Centers (AIERCs). Six such centers are currently successfully carrying out their missions in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Naryan-Mar, Vorkuta, Sabetta, and Pevek, along with two Arctic search-and-rescue units in Dudinka and Yakutsk.
The first AIERC opened back in March 2024 in Pevek, Chukotka. It covers the entire territory of the autonomous area and a portion of the Northern Sea Route. The center has 50 people on staff, including 29 certified rescuers who work around the clock. The AIERC operates 31 units of modern equipment.
An AIERC in Pevek
© Official Telegram channel of EMERCOM of Russia
A center in Sabetta, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area, has been operating since March 2026. Its equipment includes Burlak amphibious ATVs capable of carrying up to 14 people, and unique electrically heated diving equipment designed for operations in icy water.
Testing of the Burlak ATV
© RIA Novosti
New centers are also planned in Tiksi and Dikson, among others. More than 20 rescue facilities will be built in the Arctic by 2050.
The need for building such a network is underscored by the strategic importance of the Northern Sea Route to the country. As Plenipotentiary Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev said during a working visit to Pevek, the Northern Sea Route is a vital transportation artery, and ensuring its safety requires a permanent presence of the rescue force.
“For people to feel safe and to have someone they can rely on in the event of an emergency, EMERCOM facilities must be available all along the Northern Sea Route,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Emergencies Minister Roman Kurynin noted that the agency is systematically working to create safe working conditions in the region: “We are building a network of modern Arctic centers, upgrading our fleet of all-terrain and amphibious vehicles, and introducing a co-location model with executive authorities, organizations, and the Maritime Rescue Service to ensure reliable protection for strategic projects and people’s lives in the harsh northern latitudes.”
As of today, a Russian Unified State System for Emergency Prevention and Response (RSChS) force grouping of more than 187,000 personnel and over 30,000 pieces of equipment has been deployed in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. The Russian Emergencies Ministry has 19,000 specialists operating there.
Aviation in the Arctic: Both the Pilot and the Helicopter Matter for a Mission to be Successful
Rapid response is a key to the success of rescue operations in the Arctic. Vast distances, extremely low temperatures, the polar night, and hard-to-reach areas make aviation the main tool for rescue operations.
An EMERCOM of Russia rescuer in the waters of Kola Bay
© RIA Novosti / Pavel Lvov
In 2026, EMERCOM received the latest Arctic-grade Mi-38PS helicopters. They are equipped with advanced systems and night-vision devices enabling them to operate in challenging weather conditions and during the polar night. Following the retraining of flight crews, the helicopters will be deployed to Pevek and Tiksi. An aviation unit of the EMERCOM Khabarovsk Aviation Rescue Center has been operating in Pevek since July 2024.
According to the pilots, new equipment is only half the battle. The experience and skill of the person flying the aircraft are equally important. Eduard Tsoi, commander of an aviation unit of the Northwestern Aviation Rescue Center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, knows this first-hand, as he has hundreds of flights over the vast Arctic expanses under his belt.
“An old helicopter with a good pilot can fail to complete the mission, just as a new helicopter with a poorly trained pilot can,” Eduard Tsoi said. “They are one, like two halves of the same apple. To get the job done, you need both the pilot and the helicopter.”
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Commander of an aviation unit of the EMERCOM Northwestern Aviation Rescue Center Eduard Tsoi on duty
© Press Service of EMERCOM’s Main Directorate for the Murmansk Region
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Commander of an aviation unit of the EMERCOM Northwestern Aviation Rescue Center Eduard Tsoi on duty
© Press Service of EMERCOM’s Main Directorate for the Murmansk Region
Arctic aviation has a wide range of tasks, from rescuing people to responding to oil spills and fighting fires. As soon as an emergency is declared, ground teams call in the aviation support, and the crew is ready to fly to any location.
“We hook up the water bucket and take off,” the pilot said.
Eduard Tsoi is convinced that being a good pilot is not enough to work in the challenging Arctic environment. You must love this region.
“Things are not all that scary here. The nights may be a little longer, and the days a little shorter, there may be more snow, and winter lasts a little longer,” he said. “The main thing is not to be afraid. There are good people out here who will help you figure things out, give you advice, and lend a hand. Those who take to the North tend to stay here.”
Eduard Tsoi recalled an old favorite song: “It doesn’t matter that there are blizzards here, it doesn’t matter that it’s cold; once you fall in love with the North, you’ll never fall out of love with it.”
The EMERCOM’s Arctic aviation is first and foremost about creating an integrated system in which people and equipment work in unison holding their own against the harsh Arctic environment.
“Being a Rescuer Means Being Trained in Technical Matters”
The readiness of rescue teams is demonstrated by the large-scale Safe Arctic exercises, which the EMERCOM has held three times to date. Ten regions of the Russian Arctic Zone have taken part, and rescuers practiced 19 possible emergency scenarios in the Arctic. Thenext exercise is scheduled for the summer of 2027.
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EMERCOM demonstration exercise involving rescuing people in distress on the ice.
© RIA Novosti / Aleksey Efimov
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EMERCOM personnel on a snowmobile during exercises to search for and rescue tourists in the Arctic
© RIA Novosti
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Personnel of the EMERCOM Kamchatka Rescue Center during a command-and-staff exercise involving personnel and equipment to rescue people stranded in a flooded area of the Avacha River, the Kamchatka Territory
© RIA Novosti / Alexandr Piragis
Regular training in conditions that are as close to real-life situations as possible is equally important. At the Vytegra Rescue Training and Research Center located on the shores of Lake Onega, both new recruits and experienced EMERCOM personnel train in conditions resembling those of the Arctic. They practice diving under the ice, learn to operate amphibious ATVs, train to survive in extreme cold, and learn how to respond to encounters with polar bears.
However, even the most sophisticated equipment, carefully designed algorithms and exercises cannot replace the most important thing which is the mindset. Head of the search-and-rescue service at the Vytegra Arctic Center Alexander Baruzdin has the following to say, “You need endurance. The Arctic is vast, and you have to cover huge distances sometimes on foot, sometimes in all-terrain vehicles. A rescuer must be trained in technical matters. Knowing how to drive an ATV is not enough; you also need to be able to repair it when necessary.”
An Arctic rescuer is not simply someone who knows their job. They are a driver, a mechanic, a medical worker, and a psychologist all at once. In the Far North, you can rely only on yourself and your colleagues. And on endurance that keeps you going when it is 40 degrees below zero outside and the nearest settlement is hundreds of kilometers away.
“Thank You for Making Sure Our Dad is Home”
There is really no point in trying to fight the North’s inclement weather and harsh climate. Along with the right mindset, good clothing and equipment are essential. First-class rescuer with the Murmansk Arctic Integrated Emergency Rescue Center (MAIERC) has the following to says, “A true Northerner isn’t someone who is immune to cold, but someone who dresses warmly.”
After 16 years with EMERCOM, Denis Ivanov has learned one important thing: the Arctic doesn’t let you get away with mistakes. He remembers vividly an incident from his work when carelessness nearly cost a man his life.
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First-class rescuer with the Murmansk Arctic Integrated Emergency Rescue Center (MAIERC) Denis Ivanov
© Press Service of EMERCOM’s Main Directorate for the Murmansk Region
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First-class rescuer with the Murmansk Arctic Integrated Emergency Rescue Center (MAIERC) Denis Ivanov
© Press Service of EMERCOM’s Main Directorate for the Murmansk Region
“Once a year, the wife of one of the people we rescued writes to me, ‘Thank you for making sure our dad is home.’ It was the day we pulled him out of a river frozen stiff and barely alive. We feared he wouldn’t make it. But he survived. When I receive that message, I truly understand how necessary and important my job is.”
The Single System for a Strategically Important Region
Co-location is the key principle of operations in the Arctic. The EMERCOM, the Federal Medical-Biological Agency, and the Maritime Rescue Service plan to use a shared site to ensure the most rapid and coordinated response possible.
Cooperation between the emergency medical unit of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) of Russia and EMERCOM of Russia
© Official Telegram channel of EMERCOM of Russia
Since 2024, Murmansk has been home to the flagship medical and biological support center for the Northern Sea Route. It provides round-the-clock telemedicine services, psychological support, and radiation safety monitoring.
The extreme natural and climatic conditions combined with intensive economic activity create a wide range of risks in the Russian Arctic Zone that require specialized training. The establishment of rescue centers and aviation units, cooperation with other services and regular training form the foundation of the Northern Sea Route’s safety system.
