MOSCOW, June 2. / TASS /. More than one trln rubles ($13.6 bln) will be required to implement the "general cleaning" environmental project in Russia, the country’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov stated on Wednesday. 

In particular, some 17 bln rubles ($231 mln) will be allocated by 2024 for the elimination of 500 wells and the lifting of 79 sunken ships, according to the Russian minister.

"Speaking about the "general cleaning" project, taking into account additional funding and setting up the mechanism of separate record of funds and environmental payments, the initial estimates of the project implementation hit over one trln rubles," Kozlov told Izvestia in an interview.

According to the Russian minister, the elimination of 500 wells, the lifting of 79 sunken vessels and accumulated damage assessment have been currently set as a priority. The country is going to allocate 17 bln rubles ($231 mln) for these purposes by 2024.

In March 2021, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko announced that the government planned to set up a register of dumpsites, sunken ships and abandoned enterprises in Russia in order to carry out the "General cleaning" project in the country. Russia plans to channel all the money from environmental payments and fines for this purpose.