The message of congratulations reads:
“I congratulate you on your victory, and on being the first in history to reach the North Pole during the arctic night.
You have once again convincingly demonstrated enormous human resources, spiritual strength, perseverance and conviction, and done so in the darkness and in overcoming all the difficulties encountered on this thousand-metre long road to reach the summit of the planet. This success is the natural result of your courage and the high degree of professionalism among polar pilots who work using the most up-to-date technologies.
I wish you new achievements for the benefit of Russian science and all the best.”
The Russian polar explorers, Matvei Shparo (32) and Boris Smolin (46) skied more than 1000 kilometres from Arktichesky Cape on the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago to the North Pole. This was the first time that people have reached the North Pole during the polar night with round-the-clock darkness and temperatures as low as minus 55 Celsius. The expedition set off on December 22, 2007, and reached its destination on March 14, 2008.