MOSCOW. Oct 8 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has praised the effort of Russian military personnel to eliminate the effects of environmental damage in the Arctic region.
"Our servicemen have handled their mission brilliantly. Over 113,000 square kilometers of polluted territory has been cleared," Shoigu said.
The decision to carry out the clean-up was made by the supreme commander-in-chief in 2014, Shoigu said.
"Work was carried out under a roadmap on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, the islands of Kotelny and Wrangel, and near Al-Kel airfield," he said.