Artur Nikolayevich Chilingarov (russian: Артур Николаевич Чилингаров; born 25 September 1939) is an

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n polar explorer. He is a corresponding member of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

, he was awarded the title of

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

in 1986 and the title of

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Российской Федерации, Geroy Rossiyskoy Federatsii), also unofficially Hero of Russia (russian: link=no, Герой России, Geroy Rossii), is the highest honorary title ...

in 2008. He is the president of State Polar Academy. Chilingarov is a member of the

United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...

party; he was a member of the

State Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...

from 1993 to 2011, and again from 2016 onwards and was the representative of

Tula Oblast Tula Oblast (russian: Ту́льская о́бласть, ''Tulskaya oblast'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is geographically in the European Russia region of the country and is part of the Central Federal District, covering ...

in the

Federation Council The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...

between 2011 and 2014.

Biography

Chilingarov was born in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

to Russian mother and Armenian father. His father was born in

Gyumri Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city w ...

(Leninakan) and moved to Vladikavkaz at a young age. In 1963, he graduated from the Arctic faculty of the S.O. Makarov

Leningrad Maritime Institute Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy (russian: Государственная морская академия имени адмирала С. О. Макарова) is a federal institution of higher professional education (ФБОУ ВПО ) whic ...

. As an engineer-oceanographer, he was directed to the Tiksi observatory of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. In 1965, he was elected first secretary of the Bulun

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...

district committee. In 1969, he was appointed head of the

drift ice station A drifting ice station is a temporary or semi-permanent facility built on an ice floe. During the Cold War the Soviet Union and the United States maintained a number of stations in the Arctic Ocean on floes such as Fletcher's Ice Island for rese ...

“ North Pole-19” and, in 1971, Chilingarov headed the

Bellingshausen Station Bellingshausen Station (Russian: станция Беллинсгаузен) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) Antarctic station at Collins Harbour, on King George Island of the South Shetland Islands. It was one of the first research stations fou ...

of the 17th

Soviet Antarctic Expedition The Soviet Antarctic Expedition (SAE or SovAE) (russian: Советская антарктическая экспедиция, САЭ, ''Sovetskaya antarkticheskaya ekspeditsiya'') was part of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of the S ...

. Between 1974 and 1979, he worked in the Western sector of the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

as head of the

Amderma Amderma (russian: Амдерма, lit. ''a walrus rookery'' in Nenets) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Zapolyarny District of Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the coast of Kara Sea, near the Vaygach Island, from Naryan-Mar, ...

Administration of hydrometeorology and environmental control. Under his direction, new forms of Arctic operative navigation support were implemented; for the first time, experimental work on cargo transfers to fast ice during wintertime were carried out in the Yamal Peninsula. Chilingarov summarized his experience in navigation support on the

Northern Sea Route The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, ''Severnyy morskoy put'', shortened to Севморпуть, ''Sevmorput'') is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of N ...

in his dissertation for the scientific degree of a kandidat of geographical sciences. In 1985, he headed the special expedition on the research vessel '' Mikhail Somov'', which was ice-blocked in the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-smal ...

. For successful performance of the rescue operations in extreme conditions and for displayed organizational abilities and courage, Chilingarov was awarded the title of

on 14 February 1986. In January 2002, he led an expedition to the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

along with 14 other tourists on an Antonov An-3 biplane. When a mechanical problem grounded the aircraft at the South Pole, Chilingarov and other VIPs were flown by American Hercules LC130 aircraft to McMurdo and then onward to Christchurch. The rest of the group arranged a pick-up from Adventure Network International, who operate tourist flights to the South Pole. In January 2007, he led a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

expedition to Antarctica, he was joined by FSB chief Nikolay Patrushev and visited the

and Amundsen-Scott station. During the 2007 Russian North Pole expedition, Chilingarov, accompanied by five other explorers from different countries, descended on 2 ''Mir'' submersibles to the seabed 13,980 feet below the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Ma ...

in order to plant the Russian flag there and gather specimens of the seabed. In regard to the territorial claims in the Arctic, Chilingarov was quoted as saying, "The Arctic is Russian. We must prove the North Pole is an extension of the Russian landmass". In July 2008, Russia announced it was sending ''Mir'' submersibles to descend one mile to the bottom of

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the ...

to conduct geological and biological tests on its unique ecosystem. Chilingarov is scheduled to join in 60 dives in total. On 29 July 2008, Chilingarov took part in a dive to a depth of 1,580 meters in Lake Baikal, just short of the record 1,637 meters. On 10 January 2008, Chilingarov was awarded the title of

for "courage and heroism displayed in extreme conditions and for the successful completion of the High-Latitude Arctic Deep-Water Expedition." In August 2009, he revealed a planned Arctic expedition for April 2010. Chilingarov plans to fly on

dirigible An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

AU-30, manufactured by the Aeronautic Centre Avgur. In December 2012, Chilingarov supported the

anti-Magnitsky bill The Dima Yakovlev Law (russian: Закон Димы Яковлева), Dima Yakovlev Bill, Dima Yakovlev Act, anti-Magnitsky law, or Law of Scoundrels (officially Federal Law of 28 December 2012 No.272-FZ "On Sanctions for Individuals Violating F ...

to ban U.S. adoptions of Russian orphans, although he said earlier that there was no need to rush the legislation: "It concerns children, and you have to be accurate with it”

Awards

(9 January 2008) – for courage and heroism displayed in extreme conditions, and the success of high-latitude Arctic expedition *

(14 February 1986) – for exemplary performance targets for the release of the research vessel ''Mikhail Somov'' from the ice of Antarctica, leadership in rescue operations during the period of drift and displaying courage and heroism * Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3rd class (12 June 2007) – for active participation in legislative activities and the success of high-latitude air expedition to South Pole * Order of Naval Merit (27 January 2003) – for outstanding contribution to research, development and use of the oceans *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

* Honoured meteorologist of the Russian Federation (11 February 2005) *

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, Gosudarstvennaya premiya SSSR) was the Soviet Union's state honor. It was established on 9 September 1966. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, t ...

– for the development of methods of cargo handling on fast ice in Yamal * Order of Polar Star (Yakutia, 25 November 2002) *

Order of St. Mashtots Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

(Armenia, 17 September 2008) – in connection with the 17th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia * Commander of the

Order of Bernardo O'Higgins The Order of Bernardo O'Higgins ( es, Orden de Bernardo O'Higgins) is an award issued by Chile. It is the highest civilian honor awarded to non-Chilean citizens. This award was established in 1965 and named after one of the founders of the Chilean ...

(Chile, 2006) * Order of Friendship (South Ossetia), (19 June 2009) – for his great contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between peoples, actively promote the development of democracy and parliamentarianism in the Republic of South Ossetia and to provide practical assistance to its citizens in the implementation of voting rights * Chevalier

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

(France, 2010) * Medal of Anania Shirakatsi (Armenia, 31 October 2000) – for his contribution to the strengthening and development of Armenian-Russian friendship * Order of St. Prince Daniil Moskovsky, 2nd class (Russian Orthodox Church, 2009) – in consideration of the works, for their active participation in the development of church life and in connection with the 70th anniversary of the birth * Medal "Symbol of Science" (2007) Chilingarov is the author of more than 50 scientific publications. He was elected into all the

s and served as Deputy Chairman of the Third State Duma.

References

External links

Biography of Chilingarov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chilingarov, Artur 1939 births Living people Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Corresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Heroes of the Russian Federation Heroes of the Soviet Union Russian geographers Members of the Federation Council of Russia (after 2000) Scientists from Saint Petersburg Recipients of the Order of Friendship (South Ossetia) Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Russian and Soviet polar explorers Russian people of Armenian descent Soviet Armenians Recipients of the USSR State Prize Recipients of the Order of Naval Merit (Russia) Recipients of the Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR" Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur 21st-century Russian politicians First convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Second convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Third convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Fourth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Fifth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Seventh convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Eighth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)