Mother City was essential to the success of the newly unveiled research station -- Moscow's flagship hub for science and strategic influence partly financed by the Russian gas maven.

Russian billionaire and natural gas magnate Leonid Mikhelson has left his mark on the bottom of the world with something of a personal pet project -- the "modern" Vostok "wintering complex" in East Antarctica.

Officially launched into operation this week, the state-owned wintering complex stands "in the coldest and most inaccessible place on the planet", according to the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (Aari).

The command for the trial launch had been given by Russian President Vladimir Putin in January, "in the presence of the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko".

Its journey, however, began farther north, using Cape Town as a vital transport link.

As the only official Antarctic gateway in Africa, the Mother City served as the port for the delivery of up to 6,000 tons of cargo. The shipments were originally ferried from St Petersburg, sailing aboard cargo vessels such as Andrey Osipov in recent summers.

After vessel stopovers in Cape Town, the billionaire's vision was ultimately trekked across the icy desert to the world's coldest, most inaccessible corner -- where Earth's lowest air temperature was recorded in July 1983 at...