Mikhail Vasilyevich Stadukhin (died 1666) was a Russian explorer of far northeast Siberia, one of the first to reach the Kolyma, Anadyr, Penzhina and Gizhiga Rivers and the northern Sea of Okhotsk. He was a Pomor, probably born in the village of Pinega

Pinega River

The Pinega is a river in Verkhnetoyemsky, Pinezhsky, and Kholmogorsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Northern Dvina River. It is long, and the area of its basin...

, and the nephew of a Moscow merchant. By 1633 he was on the Lena River

Lena River

The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...

.

To the Kolyma and Anadyr

In 1641 he led an overland expedition to a tributary of the Indigirka River

Indigirka River

The Indigirka River is a river in the Sakha Republic in Russia between the Yana River and the Kolyma River. It is in length. The area of its basin is 360,000 km²...

 (this 'Yemolkon River' can no longer be identified, but the name is probably a variant of Omyakon, "the coldest place on earth". If the connection is correct, he was fairly far upriver and inland). With him was Semyon Dezhnyov. Finding little fur and hostile natives in 1642 or 43 they built a koch and sailed down the Indigirka to the sea. Here he met Yarilo Zyryan, who had had similar bad luck on the Alazeya River

Alazeya River

The Alazeya River is a river in the northeastern part of Yakutia, Russia which flows into the Arctic between the basins of the larger Indigirka River to the west and the Kolyma River to the east. The river is long...

. The united group sailed east to the Kolyma River

Kolyma River

The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...

 and built winter quarters, probably at Srednekolymsk

Srednekolymsk

Srednekolymsk is a town and the administrative center of Srednekolymsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located northeast of Yakutsk on the left bank of the Kolyma River. Population: -History:...

. The Kolyma soon proved to be one of the richest fur areas in eastern Siberia. In 1645 he returned to Yakutsk with a cargo of sable skins. In 1647 he was ordered to return and conquer the 'Pogycha River' which was thought to lie east of the Kolyma. Because of bad weather he was forced to winter on the Yana River

Yana River

The Yana River , is a river in Sakha in Russia, located between the Lena to the west and the Indigirka to the east.It is 872 km in length. The area of its basin is 238,000 km², whilst its annual discharge totals approximately . Most of this discharge occurs in May and June as the ice on the...

. Next spring he went by sled to the Indigirka, built a koch and sailed to the Kolyma. There he learned that Dezhnev had left for the Pogycha in 1648. In July of 1649 he followed Dezhnev with 2 koches and 30 men. One koch was wrecked. He reached (probably) the east cape of Chaunskaya Bay

Chaunskaya Bay

The Chaunskaya Bay or Chaun Bay is an Arctic bay in the East Siberian Sea, in the Chaunsky District of Chukotka, northeast Siberia.The bay is open to the north and is 140 km in length. Its maximum width is 110 km. Its mouth is defined by Cape Shelagsky to the east and an unnamed part of...

 (some put him as far east as Kolyuchinskaya Bay

Kolyuchinskaya Bay

Kolyuchinskaya Bay is a large bay in the Chukchi Sea on the northern shore of the Chukotka Peninsula, Russia. To the west is Cape Vankarem and to the east Neskynpil'gyn Lagoon and Cape Serdtse-Kamen. The length of the bay is 100 km. Its mouth is only 2.8 km because of the Serykh Gusey...

). He learned from captives that two of Dezhnev's koches had been wrecked and their crews killed by the natives 'and the others lived on the sea' (which may explain the fate of 2 more of Dezhnev's boats). Faced with short provisions, poor fishing, a rocky coast and ominous reports from the natives, he returned to the Kolyma. Meanwhile it had been learned that the headwaters of the Anyuy River

Anyuy River

Anyuy River may refer to:* Anyuy River , a right tributary of the Kolyma River in the Sakha Republic, Russia* Maly Anyuy River‎, a tributary of the Anyuy River* Bolshoy Anyuy River, a tributary of the Anyuy River...

 branch of the Kolyma were close to those of the Anadyr River

Anadyr River

Anadyr is a river in the far northeast Siberia which flows into Anadyr Bay of the Bering Sea and drains much of the interior of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Its basin corresponds to the Anadyrsky District of Chukotka....

. Deciding that this was the real Pogycha, he set off and after a seven week sled journey reached Semyon Dezhnyov's camp on the Anadyr (1650). The two groups spent the next year quarreling, exploring and collecting tribute from the Anaul natives.

Sea of Okhotsk

In February or March 1651 he set off south and reached the Penzhina River. After the thaw he built a boat, sailed west along the coast and wintered at the mouth of the Gizhiga River

Gizhigin Bay

Gizhigin Bay or Gyzhigin Bay is a wide bay northwest of Kamchatka, Russia. It is an upper left arm of Shelikhov Bay in the NE corner of the Sea of Okhotsk. The east side is the Tygonos Peninsula which separates it from the long and narrow Penzhin Bay. It is about 260 by 148km, has a maximum depth...

. In the fall of 1652 he wintered on the Yama River east of Magadan

Magadan

Magadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...

 and some time later on the Tauy River (on the west side of Magadan bay). In 1657 he appeared at Okhotsk

Okhotsk

Okhotsk is an urban locality and a seaport at the mouth of the Okhota River on the Sea of Okhotsk, in Okhotsky District, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. Population: 4,470 ;...

. In 1659 he was at Yakutsk and later went to Moscow where he was appointed an ataman

Ataman

Ataman was a commander title of the Ukrainian People's Army, Cossack, and haidamak leaders, who were in essence the Cossacks...

. He returned to Yakutsk and died in 1666.

Given the poor records, it is not clear what he was doing in the 6 years it took to go from the Penzhina to Okhotsk. It is possible that he explored some part of western Kamchatka Peninsula

Kamchatka Peninsula

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...

and may have crossed the northern neck to a point where he could see the Pacific. The story that he sailed completely around the peninsula is probably a legend.

He seems to have a fairly rough fellow. Many of the surviving documents record his quarrels with other Russians and mistreatment of the natives. He is not to be confused with Taras,Garasim and Yakob Stadukhin (probably his brother, brother and son) who were also in Siberia at this time.