The Nina who surprised Putin may get a new position

Second mate of the icebreaker "Arktika" Nina Vdovina, who impressed Vladimir Putin with her youth and high position, revealed the secrets of her professional path, reports RIA "Novosti".

In just two days, Nina will be taking an important exam in Murmansk, the successful completion of which could open the way for her to become a chief mate with special permission from Rostekhnadzor to operate a nuclear facility.

As Vdovina explained, the maritime element became her calling thanks to family traditions: her grandfather commanded deep-sea vessels, and her mother and brother also tied their fates to the fleet. At the beginning of her career, the young woman had to overcome many obstacles due to education and gender stereotypes, but she resolutely enrolled in the S.O. Makarov University of Maritime and River Fleet to obtain specialized higher education.

Vdovina emphasized: "Actually, it's not uncommon for young women to hold positions in the fleet nowadays. There are quite young chief mates in the nuclear icebreaker fleet – both 27 and 28 years old. And we have another girl who became a chief mate at 28. And he (Putin) was surprised because he didn't know how old I was. I look younger than my age. Genetics, probably. After the meeting, I was asked why the president thought I was a schoolgirl, although I'm 31. I always joke that the Arctic preserves people's youth, people don't age there because of the low temperatures."

She also noted the growing presence of women in the nuclear fleet not only among service personnel but also among the engineering staff, although in the "Arktika" crew there are only five women out of 54 team members. Currently, Vdovina is on vacation, and the icebreaker is preparing for a December voyage to the Gulf of Ob area, where the crew will celebrate the New Year.

As the newspaper VZGLYAD wrote, at a concert in Nizhny Novgorod dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Russia's nuclear industry, it was announced that a woman had been appointed captain of the nuclear icebreaker "Yamal." Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Rosatom company holds leading positions in the global nuclear energy industry and no other company in the world is building as many facilities.