Etched in stone, the petroglyphs were discovered in Vaigach Island, as per the Nenets Autonomous Area Governor Irina Gekht.

The figures of reindeers and kayaks were carved out on cliffs of Cape Razdelny on the island’s southern coast. So far, they are the most northerly samples of ancient art in European Russia. Earlier, Pegtymel River petroglyphs in Chukotka had this status.

According to preliminary expert assessments, the newly-found petroglyphs bear a stylistic resemblance to Bronze Age Scandinavian rock art.

“This may prove that Vaigach had once served as a transshipment area for ancient maritime civilizations and cultures in northern Eurasia,” the regional governor wrote in her Telegram canal.

Russian-Moldovan researcher Igor Bondar located the petroglyphs during a comprehensive scientific expedition of Arctic Floating University in 2023. In 2025, the English-language Scandinavian Philology journal, published by St. Petersburg State University and peer-reviewed by the Web of Science and Russian Science Citation Index databases, carried a large academic publication confirming the status of the discovery.

“Other scientists are interested in this rock art because it can change traditional perceptions of the history of our territory. The enigmatic Nenets land contains multiple secrets and mysteries, and this is what attracts researchers from all over the world. The Nenets Autonomous Area is a place where science meets with the unique culture of indigenous ethnic groups, and the future also merges with ancient history here,” Gekht noted.