Hello everyone,
the following paper has been recently published as a short communication:

O. V. Shpak, D. M. Kuznetsova, and V. V. Rozhnov. 2013.Observation of the Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
in the Laptev Sea. Biology Bulletin, 2013, Vol. 40, No. 9, pp. 797–800

Abstract:
In the fall of 2011, two gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) were observed to the west of the Novosibirskiye Islands
archipelago during a scientific expedition on the Research Vessel “Mikhail Somov”. This is the first scientifically
confirmed sighting of gray whales in the Laptev Sea. The range of the presence of this species in
the Arctic shelf seas is extended more than 500 km to the west. In the near future, an areal expansion due to
the climate changes in the Arctic is suggested.