Short answers, pulled from the story.
The East Siberian Sea is a marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean, bounded by the coast of Siberia to the south, the New Siberian Islands to the west, and Wrangel Island and Cape Billings near Chukotka to the east. It borders the Laptev Sea to the west and the Chukchi Sea to the east.
Pevek is the largest city and principal port on the East Siberian Sea, with a population of 5,206. It holds the distinction of being the northernmost city on the Russian mainland.
The name East Siberian Sea was officially assigned on the 27th of June 1935, by decree of the Soviet Government. Before that, the sea was referred to by various names including Indigirskoe, Kolymskoe, and Ledovitoe.
Yukaghirs and Chukchi were the earliest known inhabitants, living along the coast for thousands of years through fishing, hunting, and reindeer husbandry. They were later joined by Evens and Evenks around the second century, and then by the Yakuts between the ninth and fifteenth centuries.
The Akademik Lomonosov is a floating nuclear power plant moored in Pevek that began commercial operation in May 2020. It carries two reactors generating 35 megawatts each and as of 2026 supplies over 60 percent of electricity in the isolated Chaun-Bilibino grid, having delivered its first billion kilowatt-hours in January 2026.
About 70 percent of the East Siberian Sea is shallower than 50 metres, with predominant depths of 20 to 25 metres. The greatest depths of around 915 metres are found in the northeastern part of the sea.