Drone Stumbles Upon Polar Bears Living Their Best Life In Abandoned Soviet Research Station

November 20, 2025

It’s not every day you see a group of polar bears casually taking up residence in an old Soviet research station, but that’s exactly what’s happening on Kolyuchin Island off Russia’s far eastern coast.

Russian traveler and photographer Vadim Makhorov was flying his drone over the island’s icy landscapes when something unusual caught his eye: polar bears peeking out of windows, lounging on rooftops, and generally acting like they owned the place. Which, to be fair, they kind of do now.

The abandoned station has been empty for years, but it appears to have found new tenants.

Online, viewers can’t get enough. One person joked, “I look forward to the bear’s research.” Another added, “When the drones leave, the bears go back to playing cards around the dinner table.”