ALEXANDRA LAND, Franz Joseph Land, (Sputnik) — Putin will review the results of a seven-year campaign to clean up the archipelago, which has been accumulating washed-up garbage for years.
The operation by Russian ecologists began after the president last visited the distant land in the Arctic Ocean in 2010. It was conducted on six most contaminated islands.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday the trip was linked to the ongoing International Arctic Forum in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk.
The president is expected to discuss with ecologists biodiversity and prospects of tourism in the Arctic before going to Arkhangelsk where he is to host a lunch with Icelandic and Finnish counterparts.
