The 2015 plan for clearing the Arctic of environmental waste is over 120 percent fulfilled, RIA Novosti reported, citing Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov.

"The environmental clean-up for 2015 has been completed; the staff that took part in it have returned to the permanent garrisons," he said.

In 2015, over 170 servicemen and several dozen units of equipment were involved in clearing the military garrisons of environmental waste in the Arctic. The work was carried out on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago and Kotelny and Wrangel islands.

Bulgakov also noted that the Ministry of Defense has already started planning the environmental clean-up for 2016 and the following years.

"Russia will continue to focus on environmental issues on the region's islands, while deploying its troops in the Arctic," the Deputy Minister said.

The Russian Arctic is expected to be completely cleared of scrap metal and litter by 2018.