MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Defense Ministry is set to build a regional environmental center in the Arctic to prevent pollution in areas where Russian forces are deployed, Deputy Minister of Defense Dmitry Bulgakov said Saturday.
"To control the ecology of the Russian Arctic zone, a regional environmental center of the Northern Fleet is to be created in the near future, which will carry out ecological monitoring and control compliance with Russian and international environmental legislation," Bulgakov said.
According to the deputy minister, Russia's military presence in the Arctic is not to harm the region's ecology.
He noted that Russian troops have been deployed in the Arctic in accordance with "existing international standards and international law regulations regarding environmental security issues".
Russian forces systematically receive "training and briefings on environmental safety and compliance with legislation", Bulgakov stated.
In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia will build a unified network of naval facilities on its Arctic territories to host advanced warships and submarines as part of a plan to boost protection of the country's interests and borders in the region.
