Vladimir Alexandrovich Rusanov (1875-1913) - an outstanding explorer of the Russian North and a brave traveler. A major geologist, he was the first to turn to the direct study of Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya. He became the first in the galaxy of our compatriots who paved the way for the development of the fossil wealth of the Arctic. A man of difficult and tragic fate, whose work received international recognition during his lifetime, Rusanov remained for Russian polar explorers an example of a brilliant organizer and brave scientist who managed to predetermine many achievements of Russian science.