About 10,000 tons of debris should be removed from the Arctic as part of a major cleanup effort in 2017, Director of the Natural Resources Ministry's International Cooperation Department Nuritdin Inamov told RIA Novosti at an international conference in Tromso.

In recent years, Russia has been working to reverse the accumulated damage to the environment in its Arctic zone. The plan is to clear the waste accumulated in the region over the years of development by 2025. Special programs have been adopted, and the cleanup of the Franz Josef Land is already underway.

"This year is the Year of the Environment in Russia," Inamov said. "We have planned a major cleanup campaign of the Arctic. If I am not mistaken, the plan is to remove some 10,000 of waste from the islands of Franz Josef Land."  

He also stressed that the Ministry of Natural Resources appreciates the assistance the Ministry of Defense, which is also working to eliminate the accumulated environmental damage.