Students to clean the Russian Arctic from garbage

Research vessel the Professor Molchanov set off from Arkhangelsk to  Franz Josef Land. The ship will deliver environmental specialists and activists of student group "Gandvik" to the archipelago. The mission was organized with the support of the Ministry for Youth and Sports of the Arkhangelsk region and Russian Arctic National Park.

"Physical strength is needed there indeed. The more young people we have there, the more result the work will bring, -  Alexander Ignatiev, editor-in-chief of the Arctic Herald told Pravda.Ru. - If people from Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Petrozavodsk are interested in the Arctic, they  will become attached to the region even more."

This year, it is planned to collect not less than 8,000 tons of garbage on Franz Josef Land. The garbage will be delivered to the mainland to be utilized. A special state program was enacted in the Arctic to eliminate environmental damage.

"This is not an easy task, of course, which the president put, and we have fulfilled it partially, on one island, for the time being, Artur Chilingarov, a member of the Federation Council of the Tula region, famous explorer of the Arctic and Antarctic told Pravda.Ru. - It is much more important that the Ministry for Natural Resources has launched these  activities, and all regions of the Arctic Ocean, where traces of Arctic military presence are left, have picked it up. This work will continue until we clean it all up."

The total amount of waste on Arctic islands is estimated at 78,000 tons.

Arkhangelsk Governor Igor Orlov stressed out: "With this mission of the construction teams, as well as with the projects that are currently being implemented in the Arkhangelsk region, we show in practice that the Pomorye region is indeed a gateway to the Arctic. We will necessarily execute the important state assignment to clean the Arctic region to subsequently strengthen presence in this important region for Russia. "