Cases / Waste management · Russia · 1966–2026
Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill: closure and waste clean-up
Nature's voice · report
Bottom sediment at my southern shore was polluted by hard-to-hydrolyse carbohydrates and the lignin-humus complex over 7.9 km² in 1995 and 17.8 km² in 1998, according to Irkutsk Oblast state reports cited in a 2008 paper.
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record. Disputed
Recorded
- Sulphate sulphur polluted my sediment over 2.6 km² in 1997 and 15.2 km² in 2003, according to the same reports. Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov)
- At the mill's outfall, maximum permissible concentrations were exceeded for suspended solids, chlorides, sulphates, phenols and oil products; the 1995 maxima were 3.8 times for oil products and up to 4.4 times for suspended solids, according to the State Report on the Environment of Irkutsk Oblast for 1995. Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov)
- In 2013 the zone of sediment pollution measured by bacterial counts was 3.1 km², with heterotrophic bacteria at 21 thousand cells per gram, 3.5 times background, and the area was classed as weakly polluted, according to Roshydromet data cited in a 2015 conference abstract. Lomonosov-2015 conference (Bogush)
- Interstitial water on my beach reached 25 °C in June 2013 and had lower oxygen and higher sulphur, sodium and chlorine than lake water; black deposits on stones matched the mill's sludge-lignin in infrared spectrum, according to a 2022 Limnological Institute study of 2013–2016 data. Limnology and Freshwater Biology (Zvereva et al.)
- In December 2020 Rosprirodnadzor found over-sludge water from the storage ponds reaching me with harmful substances at 400 times the maximum permissible concentration, according to BFM. BFM.ru
- A 2011 state report found sulphate and chloride levels near the mill that The Moscow Times described as dangerously high. The Moscow Times
What the record lacks: 1 none on record · 5 not disclosed · 1 not measured · 11 disputed · 8 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Harm to Lake Baikal while the mill operated
- Government and regulators Vladimir Putin, then Prime Minister (2009): Said that, citing Academician Nigmatulin, no significant harm was done over the decades. Pravo.ru
- Company or project Insolvency administrator (2013): Said the outgoing water was cleaner than what went in from the lake. The Moscow Times
- Researchers State reports cited by Irkutsk State University authors: Maximum permissible concentrations were exceeded at the outfall and polluted bottom sediment covered 7.9 km² (1995) to 17.8 km² (1998). Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov)
- International bodies UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2011): Continued operation without adequate measures would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value. UNESCO World Heritage Committee via InforMEA (UN)
Volume of wastewater discharged into Lake Baikal before 2008
- Researchers Erbaeva and Safronov (2008), citing Irkutsk Oblast state reports: Tens of millions of m³ of industrially treated wastewater a year. Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov)
- Press and investigations Lenta.ru, citing Greenpeace figures: About 100,000 m³ of wastewater a year discharged directly into the lake before the 2008 switch. Lenta.ru
Quantity of waste in storage
- Researchers SB RAS (2021): More than 6.2 million tonnes of sludge-lignin in 14 storage ponds. Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- Press and investigations The Moscow Times (2013): 13 sludge reservoirs holding roughly 6.2 million tons of toxic waste. The Moscow Times
- Press and investigations Interfax, citing Rosgeologia surveys (2021): 4.948 million m³ of solids (sludge-lignin and ash) and 729 thousand m³ of water. Interfax
- Press and investigations Kommersant (2022): About 6.5 million tonnes of hazardous waste. Kommersant
- Government and regulators Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev (2025): More than 6 million m³ of production waste. Rosatom (Atommedia)
- Company or project Rosatom (2025): At the treatment-plant site about 290 thousand m³ of black-liquor effluent less than 500 m from the shore, and at the Babkhinsky landfill more than 2.4 million m³. Rosatom (Atommedia)
- Company or project Rosatom (2024): 288 thousand m³ at the treatment-plant site. Rosatom (Atommedia)
- Company or project Maxim Pogodin, FEO, via Interfax (2023): More than 2.2 million m³ at the Babkhinsky landfill. Interfax
Expert review of the clean-up technologies
- Researchers Valentin Parmon, SB RAS (2021): Rosatom moved the expert review from SB RAS to the Russian Academy of Sciences as a whole because SB RAS's review seemed too "harsh". Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- Researchers SB RAS expert note (2021): At FEO's insistent request, requirements about urgent measures under unfulfilled presidential instructions were removed from its April 2021 analytical note; the state contract required a positive SB RAS conclusion on the chosen technologies. Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill discharged treated wastewater into Lake Baikal from 1966 and stopped production in 2013 after bankruptcy proceedings. Millions of tonnes of pulp-production waste remained in storage ponds on the shore, and federal clean-up funding has been set by successive programmes since 2013.
More than RUB 11bnFederal clean-up funding allocated by August 2025
Statement by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, who said more than RUB 15bn was planned in total.
Statement by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, who said more than RUB 15bn was planned in total.
Status As of October 2026: mudflow-protection reconstruction under way, demolition of the site in progress, pumping and treatment at two sites planned, and pilot tests at the Solzansky landfill ordered to run until 1 June 2028; no technology adopted for Solzansky as of July 2026.
What?
The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill, on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, operated from 1966, stopped production in October 2008, resumed open-cycle production in June 2010 after Government Decree No. 1, and ceased on 13 September 2013. Millions of tonnes of pulp-production waste remained in storage ponds, and the federal government has funded and contracted its clean-up since 2013. The Moscow Times
Where?
Baikalsk, Slyudyansky District, Irkutsk Oblast, on the southern shore of Lake Baikal; the Solzansky landfill lies west of the town and the Babkhinsky landfill near the Babkha river. Interfax
When?
Commissioned 1966; stopped 6 October 2008 (per Pravo.ru); Decree No. 1 on 13 January 2010; closed 13 September 2013; clean-up contractors from 2017; FEO from 2020; works planned to 2027–2028. The Moscow Times
Who?
Gained
- Creditors of the mill — VEB bought the mill's debt for nearly RUB 1.75bn in February 2013 (Vedomosti, via BFM) BFM.ru
- Rosgeologia — Named sole contractor in 2017 for a contract valued at RUB 5.9bn; the Irkutsk government terminated it in August 2019; Rosgeologia claimed RUB 230m back Interfax
- Federal Environmental Operator (FEO, Rosatom) — Sole contractor since 30 October 2020; the contract value is not disclosed Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- A VEB.RF subsidiary — Bought the mill's property complex in 2021; the price is not stated Oblastnaya Gazeta (Irkutsk)
- En+ Group — Named as initiator of the proposed International Water Resources Centre (1 billion litres a year of water bottling) on the mill site in Order No. 4344-r Government of the Russian Federation
Lost
- Mill workers — 800 workers remained at the 2013 closure; wage arrears were RUB 100m in 2009 The Moscow Times
- Federal budget — More than RUB 11bn allocated for the clean-up by August 2025, with more than RUB 15bn planned Rosatom (Atommedia)
Harmed
- Lake Baikal bottom sediment near the mill — Polluted over 7.9 km² (1995) to 17.8 km² (1998) Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov)
- Lake Baikal coastal zone at the mill site — Interstitial water at 25 °C and black deposits matching the mill's sludge-lignin, 2013–2016 Limnology and Freshwater Biology (Zvereva et al.)
Why?
The Irkutsk regional government said the 2013 stoppage was decided by creditors; The Moscow Times wrote that the official grounds were financial, not ecological. Management said in October 2008 that the mill was in financial and economic default and was unable to continue under a closed water cycle. The Moscow Times
How?
The government removed the closed-cycle requirement for pulp production in the central ecological zone by Decree No. 1 (13 January 2010); the Supreme Court dismissed challenges. After closure, clean-up was assigned by government order to Rosgeologia (2017), GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies (2020) and FEO (2020), funded from the federal budget. Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill was commissioned in 1966 on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, in the town of Baikalsk, Irkutsk Oblast. It produced bleached, unbleached and sulphate viscose pulp (Interfax). The Moscow Times wrote that at its peak it employed over 2,000 people and could produce 100,000 tons of bleached pulp a year; Interfax gave a capacity of about 200,000 tonnes a year. Lenta.ru reported that 51% of the mill was held by Continental Management, which it said belonged to the Basel holding, and the remainder by the federal property agency Rosimushchestvo; Interfax (2012) and The Moscow Times (2013) gave the state share as 49%.
State environment reports for Irkutsk Oblast, cited in a 2008 university paper, recorded exceedances of maximum permissible concentrations at the mill's outfall for suspended solids, chlorides, sulphates, phenols and oil products, and bottom sediment polluted by carbohydrates and the lignin-humus complex over 7.9 km² in 1995 and 17.8 km² in 1998. The mill's water-use licence expired on 3 November 2007. In December 2007 Rosprirodnadzor sued for RUB 4 billion of environmental damage, later recalculated to RUB 419 million; the court awarded RUB 19 million and the Fourth Arbitration Appeal Court upheld the award (reported 21 May 2009). In August 2008 the mill switched to a closed water cycle with its own treatment facilities and chlorine bleaching was banned; in autumn 2008 the owners halted production, citing unprofitability.
After the stoppage on 6 October 2008 (date as given by Pravo.ru), the federal government allocated money for wage arrears and social upkeep, and the Arbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast opened supervision (bankruptcy) proceedings on 28 October 2009 on a claim by Sibstroiles. On 13 January 2010 Government Decree No. 1 removed the ban on pulp, paper and cardboard production without closed (non-discharge) water systems from the list of activities banned in the central ecological zone. The Supreme Court dismissed challenges by an individual and Greenpeace Russia on 17 June 2010, holding that government decrees are not objects of state ecological expertise under Law 174-FZ; the Cassation Board upheld the ruling on 12 August 2010. The mill resumed open-cycle production in June 2010 (The Moscow Times). In 2011 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee stated that continued operation without adequate measures would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value.
Liquidation proceedings began in December 2012. VEB opened a credit line for current operations in December 2012 and bought the mill's debt for nearly RUB 1.75 billion in February 2013 (Vedomosti, via BFM). Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich announced a "gradual closure" on 26-27 February 2013, VEB.RF's supervisory board approved a credit line for the closure on 5 July 2013, and the last batch of pulp was produced on 13 September 2013. The first deputy head of the Irkutsk regional government said the decision "was made by its creditors"; The Moscow Times wrote that the official grounds were financial, not ecological. The Arbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast declared the company legally liquidated in October 2024.
Waste remained in storage ponds after closure. Interfax named VEB-Engineering, then Rosgeologia, then Rosatom as contractors. Government Order No. 2339-r of 25 October 2017 named Rosgeologia sole contractor; the Irkutsk government announced unilateral termination of the contract in August 2019, citing missed deadlines. GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies was designated on 23 March 2020, and Government Order No. 2824-r of 30 October 2020 named the Federal Environmental Operator (FEO), part of Rosatom, which signed state contract No. 4/2020EI on 27 November 2020. According to the explanatory note to the draft 2022–2024 federal budget, as reported by Interfax, the money planned through 2025 comes from the payment made by Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company, a Nornickel subsidiary, for the May 2020 fuel spill. In August 2025 Rosatom reported that construction of the main and auxiliary process facilities at both sites was finished and commissioning had begun. In July 2026 a university biologist wrote that no technology had been adopted for the Solzansky landfill, and in October 2026 a government order named Lomonosov Moscow State University and FEO sole contractors for pilot tests there, with contracts running to 1 June 2028.
- 1966Mill commissioned on the southern shore of Lake Baikal
- 2007Water-use licence expired (3 Nov); Rosprirodnadzor claim for RUB 4bn filed in December, later recalculated to RUB 419m
- 2008Closed water cycle introduced (August); owners halted production in autumn (6 Oct date per Pravo.ru)
- 2009Federal wage and social-upkeep allocations (June); court upheld RUB 19m award on appeal (reported 21 May); supervision proceedings opened (28 Oct)
- 2010Decree No. 1 (13 Jan); Supreme Court dismissed challenges (17 Jun); cassation upheld (12 Aug); open-cycle production resumed (June)
- 2011World Heritage Committee decision 35 COM 7B.23
- 2012Discharge allowed until 16 August 2013 (late August); VEB credit line (December); liquidation proceedings began (December)
- 2013VEB bought the mill's debt (February); closure announced (26-27 Feb); closure credit line (5 Jul); last pulp batch (13 Sep)
- 2017Presidential instruction (14 Aug) and government order (23 Aug); Rosgeologia named sole contractor (25 Oct); state contract signed (22 Dec)
- 2018Subsidies to Irkutsk Oblast of RUB 1,111.9m cut by Federal Law No. 459-FZ
- 2019Irkutsk government announced termination of the Rosgeologia contract (August); agreement with Irkutsk Oblast for RUB 1,412.6m (14 Feb)
- 2020GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies designated (23 Mar); FEO named sole contractor (30 Oct); contract signed (27 Nov); Rosprirodnadzor found over-sludge water reaching Baikal (December)
- 2021Emergency regime in Baikalsk (April); VEB.RF subsidiary bought the property complex; SB RAS expert note (April)
- 2022Planned Solzansky method changed to lithification (April); Order No. 4344-r approved the Baikalsk development programme (29 Dec)
- 2023FEO began main works at the treatment-plant site and the Babkhinsky landfill (June)
- 2024Company legally liquidated (October); Limnological Institute and prosecutors took sediment cores at the outfall (June)
- 2025Rosatom reported process facilities built and commissioning begun (August); Decree No. 1348 on clean-up subsidies (1 Sep)
- 2026First stage of demolition finished (12 Jan); mudflow-protection reconstruction began (May); Patrushev visit (1 Jul); MSU and FEO named for Solzansky pilot tests (October)
What was said
Claims, in the words of those who made them.
“Of course there is nothing good in the mill's activity. But… no significant harm was done over these decades”
“We will not act thoughtlessly, carelessly, without thinking about nature and about Baikal”
“We are shocked by this order”
“would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value”
“The outgoing water was actually cleaner than what went in from the lake.”
“Over the years, they have been dumping who knows what along with the sludge.”
“The money is allocated, but the lignin lies where it lay, posing a danger”
“About 4 billion rubles was allocated for these purposes, and 90% of the money was returned to the budget”
“things went no further than talk and spending of the allocated funds”
“We are confident that already in 2028 we will forget about any threats to Lake Baikal”
“at last there is an owner and a tangible horizon for a solution”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Harm to Lake Baikal while the mill operated
Government and regulators
Vladimir Putin, then Prime Minister (2009)
Said that, citing Academician Nigmatulin, no significant harm was done over the decades.
Pravo.ruCompany or project
Insolvency administrator (2013)
Said the outgoing water was cleaner than what went in from the lake.
The Moscow TimesResearchers
State reports cited by Irkutsk State University authors
Maximum permissible concentrations were exceeded at the outfall and polluted bottom sediment covered 7.9 km² (1995) to 17.8 km² (1998).
Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov)International bodies
UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2011)
Continued operation without adequate measures would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value.
UNESCO World Heritage Committee via InforMEA (UN)Volume of wastewater discharged into Lake Baikal before 2008
Researchers
Erbaeva and Safronov (2008), citing Irkutsk Oblast state reports
Tens of millions of m³ of industrially treated wastewater a year.
Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov)Press and investigations
Lenta.ru, citing Greenpeace figures
About 100,000 m³ of wastewater a year discharged directly into the lake before the 2008 switch.
Lenta.ruQuantity of waste in storage
Researchers
SB RAS (2021)
More than 6.2 million tonnes of sludge-lignin in 14 storage ponds.
Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of SciencesPress and investigations
The Moscow Times (2013)
13 sludge reservoirs holding roughly 6.2 million tons of toxic waste.
The Moscow TimesPress and investigations
Interfax, citing Rosgeologia surveys (2021)
4.948 million m³ of solids (sludge-lignin and ash) and 729 thousand m³ of water.
InterfaxGovernment and regulators
Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev (2025)
More than 6 million m³ of production waste.
Rosatom (Atommedia)Company or project
Rosatom (2025)
At the treatment-plant site about 290 thousand m³ of black-liquor effluent less than 500 m from the shore, and at the Babkhinsky landfill more than 2.4 million m³.
Rosatom (Atommedia)Company or project
Maxim Pogodin, FEO, via Interfax (2023)
More than 2.2 million m³ at the Babkhinsky landfill.
InterfaxClean-up spending to 2018
Government and regulators
Nikolai Nikolaev, State Duma (September 2018)
More than RUB 1.3 billion spent since 2013; RUB 1.4 billion allocated that year not spent by the region.
Parlamentskaya GazetaGovernment and regulators
Alexey Kaulbars, Accounts Chamber (December 2018)
About RUB 4 billion allocated, 90% returned to the budget.
Parlamentskaya GazetaClean-up cost estimates
Company or project
Rosgeologia contract (2017), via Interfax
RUB 5.9 billion, covering the storage ponds but not the industrial site.
InterfaxGovernment and regulators
Draft 2022–2024 federal budget note (September 2021), via Interfax
RUB 17.53 billion planned through 2025.
InterfaxGovernment and regulators
Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev (August 2025)
More than RUB 11 billion allocated and more than RUB 15 billion planned in total.
Rosatom (Atommedia)Completion date for the clean-up
Government and regulators
Government resolution designating GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies (March 2020)
Final deadline 31 January 2024 for the GazEnergoStroy designation.
InterfaxCompany or project
Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev (2025)
Full set of works to be completed in 2027; threats to Lake Baikal forgotten in 2028.
InterfaxGovernment and regulators
Order of October 2026 (NIA Ekologiya)
Pilot-test contracts at the Solzansky landfill end by 1 June 2028.
NIA EkologiyaResearchers
Maxim Timofeev, Irkutsk State University (July 2026)
No active work at the Solzansky landfill, where a technological solution had not yet been adopted.
Glagol38Why Rosgeologia left the clean-up contract
Government and regulators
Government of Irkutsk Oblast
Terminated the contract unilaterally in August 2019 for missed deadlines.
InterfaxCompany or project
Rosgeologia
Said it spent its own funds on surveys, equipment and pond works and alleged that the regional ministry failed to act; claimed RUB 230 million.
EastRussiaExpert review of the clean-up technologies
Researchers
Valentin Parmon, SB RAS (2021)
Rosatom moved the expert review from SB RAS to the Russian Academy of Sciences as a whole because SB RAS's review seemed too "harsh".
Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of SciencesResearchers
SB RAS expert note (2021)
At FEO's insistent request, requirements about urgent measures under unfulfilled presidential instructions were removed from its April 2021 analytical note; the state contract required a positive SB RAS conclusion on the chosen technologies.
Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of SciencesHow it looked
What was shown, beside what was recorded.
Shown
- The government's representative told the Supreme Court that the restart was needed for the town's development and for waste processing.Government of Russia, in court (2010) · Pravo.ru
- Every step of the clean-up had been discussed with the local population and residents.Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko (2024) · Rosatom (Atommedia)
- The full set of clean-up works would be completed in 2027, and threats to Lake Baikal would be forgotten in 2028.Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev (2025) · Rosatom (Atommedia)
- The city treatment facilities worked properly and no discharges were occurring at the time of the December 2020 ruling.Vasily Temgenevsky, head of Baikalsk (2020) · BFM.ru
Recorded
- On 23 August 2017, on the President's instruction of 14 August 2017 (No. Пр-1602), the government ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Economic Development to fund the clean-up from the 2018–2020 federal budget and to name a sole contractor.
- In December 2012 VEB opened a credit line for the mill's current operations, and payments were made for wage arrears and for coal debts to Vostsibugol.
- In February 2013 VEB bought the mill's debt for nearly RUB 1.75 billion (Vedomosti, via BFM); total debt at December 2012 was RUB 2.86 billion, of which voting debt was RUB 1.68 billion.
- In June 2009 the federal government allocated RUB 87.6 million for wage arrears and compensation; total arrears were RUB 100 million. The payer was not named.
- From the stoppage on 6 October 2008 to July 2009 more than RUB 530 million was allocated to the mill's social upkeep (wages, compensation, running the thermal power plant); in July 2009 Putin asked the transport minister and Russian Railways to work out a special rail tariff for the mill. The payer of the allocations was not named.
- The mill's 2008 loss was RUB 680 million and its credit debt RUB 1.2 billion in April 2009.
- In April 2010 the Arbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast recognised an Alfa Bank claim of RUB 577 million; total claims were at least RUB 1.7 billion. Management described the mill in October 2008 as in a state of financial and economic default.
- In April 2009 Irkutsk governor Igor Esipovsky said the government had concluded that subsidising the enterprise was not justified.
- The Moscow Times wrote in February 2013 that a majority stake was held by companies controlled by an associate of a businessman and that the government held 49%, and that Putin personally ordered the reopening of the mill.
- In June 2024 the Limnological Institute SB RAS and the Baikal Interregional Environmental Prosecutor's Office took bottom-sediment cores at the mill's effluent outfall to analyse organochlorine compounds.
- The first stage of demolition (17 objects) finished on 12 January 2026; the second stage (150 objects) started in the first quarter of 2026 and is due by the end of 2027, and demolition of all emergency buildings is planned by 2030.
- Reconstruction of the mudflow-protection structure at the industrial-waste landfill began in May 2026, covers two drainage channels over 2.2 km, was 21% complete in August 2026 and is due by the end of 2026; the contractor is not named.
- The Supreme Court (case GKPI10-321, 17 June 2010) dismissed the applications of an individual and Greenpeace Russia against Government Decree No. 1 of 13 January 2010; the Cassation Board upheld the ruling on 12 August 2010.
- The Accounts Chamber's analytical report on federal budget execution for the first half of 2019 recorded that the 2018 subsidies to Irkutsk Oblast for the clean-up were cut in full (RUB 1,111.9 million) because the design and cost documentation needed revision, and that nothing was spent in 2018 or the first half of 2019 on the RUB 395.0 million subsidy to Rosgeologia.
- The Accounts Chamber also noted the absence of approved design and cost documentation and of positive state expertise conclusions (2019).
- The government's own order describes the mill site as seismically active and exposed to mudflows from the Bolshaya and Malaya Osinovka basins.
- The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences wrote in 2021 that Rosatom was the fourth contractor since 2013 and that proposed technologies had not passed state ecological expertise before 2020.
- Rosprirodnadzor won its case against the Baikalsk municipal treatment enterprise; the ruling took effect on 11 December 2020.
- Government Order No. 4344-r (29 December 2022) names an International Water Resources Centre on the mill site, initiated by En+ Group, with a water-bottling line of 1 billion litres a year financed off-budget.
- Order No. 4344-r also calls for considering removal of existing restrictions on development of the territory in central-ecological-zone legislation.
- Decree No. 1348 (1 September 2025) set new rules for subsidising clean-up in the central ecological zone under the federal project "General Clean-up"; Rosprirodnadzor is to verify results.
- In July 2026 Patrushev said more than RUB 46 billion had been allocated from the federal budget for Baikal environmental measures in total, not specific to the mill.
Who gained
Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.
Reached nature or the ground
Not published
Clean-up funding in the 2022–2024 federal budget plan, through 202517.5bn
Window: 2022–2025
RUB 3,829m in 2022, 9,850m in 2023, 3,855m in 2024; from the explanatory note to the draft budget, as reported by Interfax.
Clean-up funding allocated by August 2025> 11bn
Window: to 2025
Statement by Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev; more than RUB 15bn planned in total.
Rosgeologia contract (storage ponds only)5.9bn
Window: 2017–2019
Contract value as reported by Interfax; the contract was terminated in 2019.
Mudflow-protection reconstruction340m
Window: 2026
Federal reserve fund, April 2021363m
Window: 2021
Gained elsewhere
Not totalled
VEB purchase of the mill's debt1.8bn
Window: 2013
VEB loan for refinancing, running costs and wages of 800 workers3.6bn
Window: 2013
Alfa Bank claim recognised by the Irkutsk court577m
Window: 2010
Rosprirodnadzor damages awarded for water pollution19m
Window: 2009
Claimed RUB 4,000m, recalculated to RUB 419m.
State allocations for wages and social upkeep, October 2008 to July 2009> 530m
Window: 2008–2009
Payer not named.
Mill loss, 2008680m
Window: 2008
Currency: RUB · Window: Mixed — see each line. Figures cover different periods and are not compared as a ratio. * Estimate built from cited figures.
Responses on record
- Vnesheconombank (VEB) (2012–2013): Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev said in 2013 that refinancing of loans must depend on there being a state programme. VEB-Engineering's chief executive said in December 2012 that state funds received from VEB must go first of all to social needs. · BFM.ru
- Rosatom / Federal Environmental Operator (FEO) (2025): Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev said the full set of works was planned to finish in 2027 and that threats to Baikal would be forgotten in 2028. · Rosatom (Atommedia)
- Government of Irkutsk Oblast (2019): Announced termination of the Rosgeologia contract in August 2019, citing missed deadlines. · Interfax
- Rosgeologia (2020): Said it financed surveys, equipment and pond works from its own funds and claimed RUB 230 million back from Irkutsk Oblast. · EastRussia
- Government of Russia (2010): Its representative told the Supreme Court in 2010 that the restart was needed for the town's development and for waste processing. · Pravo.ru
- Greenpeace Russia (January 2010): Wrote to the President that the decision "was taken to suit the short-term interests of the mill's owners". · RIA Novosti
- Government of Baikalsk (December 2020): The head of Baikalsk said the city treatment facilities work properly and that no discharges were occurring at the time of the ruling. · BFM.ru
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2007–2009Claimant wonRUB 19m awardedRosprirodnadzor v. Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill (water pollution)Arbitration court; Fourth Arbitration Appeal Court on appeal · Civil · Rosprirodnadzor → Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill
Claim filed in December 2007 for RUB 4 billion, recalculated to RUB 419 million. RUB 19 million was awarded and the Fourth Arbitration Appeal Court upheld it (reported 21 May 2009). Oleg Mitvol, a former deputy head of Rosprirodnadzor, attributed the rejected RUB 400 million to a retroactive discharge permit that a former Rostekhnadzor official did not revoke; that is his attributed claim. Pravo.ru
- 2009–2024Outcome not on recordBankruptcy proceedings against Baikalsk Pulp and Paper MillArbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast · Civil · Sibstroiles → Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill
Supervision was introduced on 28 October 2009 and an arbitration manager appointed. Liquidation proceedings began in December 2012; the court declared the company legally liquidated in October 2024. Rossiyskaya Gazeta
- 2009–2009Claimant wonFormer workers' wage claimsSlyudyansky District Court · Civil · Former mill workers → Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill
The court upheld the wage claims of 8 former workers on 3 April 2009; about 500 claims were filed. Pravo.ru
- 2010–2010Defendant wonChallenge to Government Decree No. 1 of 13 January 2010 (case ГКПИ10-321)Supreme Court of the Russian Federation; Cassation Board (КАС10-358) · Administrative · An individual and Greenpeace Russia → Government of the Russian Federation
On 17 June 2010 the Supreme Court dismissed the applications. It held that government decrees are not objects of state ecological expertise under Law 174-FZ. The Cassation Board upheld the ruling on 12 August 2010. Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
- 2010–Outcome not on recordCriminal case against the mill's bankruptcy managerInvestigative Committee · Criminal · Investigative Committee → Sergei Reshetnikov, bankruptcy manager
Charged under Article 303(1) of the Criminal Code (falsification of evidence) over documents about his previous employment that he submitted to courts, according to the Investigative Committee press service on 26 August 2010. The outcome is not on record. Pravo.ru
- 2010–Outcome not on recordCriminal case against the mill's chief accountantRussian court · Criminal · Prosecutors → The mill's chief accountant (not named)
Charged with attempted theft of RUB 3 million from the wage fund; the case was sent to court in September 2010, according to the Interior Ministry press centre. The outcome is not on record. Pravo.ru
- 2020–Outcome not on recordRUB 230m claimedRosgeologia v. Government of Irkutsk OblastCourt not named · Civil · Rosgeologia → Government of Irkutsk Oblast
Rosgeologia claimed RUB 230 million spent on preparatory work, saying it financed surveys, equipment and pond works from its own funds. The court, case number and outcome are not on record. EastRussia
- 2020–2020Claimant wonRosprirodnadzor v. municipal treatment enterprise MUP KOS "BMO"Court not named · Civil · Rosprirodnadzor → MUP KOS "BMO" (Baikalsk municipal treatment enterprise)
Claim filed on 18 September 2020 to ban discharges of over-sludge water, which Rosprirodnadzor said reached Baikal with harmful substances at 400 times the maximum permissible concentration. Rosprirodnadzor won; the ruling took effect on 11 December 2020. BFM.ru
- 2011–2011Outcome not on recordWorld Heritage Committee Decision 35 COM 7B.23 (Lake Baikal)UNESCO World Heritage Committee · International court · World Heritage Committee → Russia (State Party)
The Committee stated that continued operation of the mill without adequate measures would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value, and requested closure if closed-loop investment was not secured by December 2012. UNESCO World Heritage Committee via InforMEA (UN)
- 2013–2013Outcome not on recordWorld Heritage Committee Decision 37 COM 7B.22 (Lake Baikal)UNESCO World Heritage Committee · International court · World Heritage Committee → Russia (State Party)
The Committee welcomed the shutdown, noted that the mill continued to produce heat, and requested an environmental impact assessment on future use of the site. UNESCO World Heritage Committee via InforMEA (UN)
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What nature saw
Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
Polluted bottom sediment
7.9–17.8 km²
Area polluted by carbohydrates and lignin-humus complex, 1995 to 1998; Irkutsk Oblast state reports cited in a 2008 paper
Over-sludge water reaching Baikal
400 × limit
Rosprirodnadzor finding, December 2020: harmful substances at 400 times the maximum permissible concentration
Clean-up funding allocated
> RUB 11bn
By August 2025, per Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev
Last pulp batch
13 Sep 2013
Production ended; waste remained in storage ponds
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
Court
- Unclear Bankruptcy proceedings against Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill: outcome not on record.
- Unclear Criminal case against the mill's bankruptcy manager: outcome not on record.
- Unclear Criminal case against the mill's chief accountant: outcome not on record.
- Unclear Rosgeologia v. Government of Irkutsk Oblast: outcome not on record.
- Unclear World Heritage Committee Decision 35 COM 7B.23 (Lake Baikal): outcome not on record.
- Unclear World Heritage Committee Decision 37 COM 7B.22 (Lake Baikal): outcome not on record.
Accounts
Record
- Disputed Figures differ: the quantity of waste is given as more than 6.2 million tonnes in 14 ponds (SB RAS), about 6.5 million tonnes (Kommersant), 4.948 million m³ of solids and 729 thousand m³ of water (Rosgeologia surveys via Interfax) and more than 6 million m³ (Patrushev, 2025).
- Disputed Figures differ: before 2008 the mill discharged "tens of millions of m³" of treated wastewater a year (2008 university paper) or about 100,000 m³ directly into the lake (Greenpeace figures cited by Lenta.ru).
- Unclear Unclear: the signing date of Decree No. 1. The court text dates it 13 January 2010; Lenta.ru says it was signed on 18 January.
- Unclear Unclear: whether pumping and treatment at the Babkhinsky and treatment-plant sites began in 2026. In July 2026 the first treatment runs were described as planned for "this year".
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the value of the 2020 designation of GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies (not stated by Interfax).
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: how the nature-like technology for the Solzansky landfill works and what the pilot work costs (stated by NIA Ekologiya on the October 2026 order).
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the contractor and cost of the demolition works (Interfax), the price of the 2021 VEB.RF purchase of the property complex (Oblastnaya Gazeta) and the contractor for the 2026 mudflow-protection works (Atomic-Energy.ru).
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the amount of the credit line approved by VEB.RF on 5 July 2013 and the amount paid to SB RAS for expert review under FEO contract No. Ц-ГД/ИФ04-4/2020ЕИ-6/21.
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: results of the June 2024 organochlorine sampling of bottom sediment at the outfall; the Limnological Institute's expedition page gives none.
- Not measured Not measured: sediment near the mill between the 1980s and 2011, when Roshydromet resumed monitoring.
- Disputed Disputed: the amount spent on the clean-up before 2018 — more than RUB 1.3 billion since 2013 (Nikolaev) or about RUB 4 billion allocated with 90% returned to the budget (Accounts Chamber auditor Kaulbars).
- None on record None on record: the outcome of the 2010 charges against the bankruptcy manager and the chief accountant, and the court, case number and outcome of Rosgeologia's RUB 230 million claim against Irkutsk Oblast.
Did the harm stop?
Production ended on 13 September 2013, when the last batch of pulp was produced. The accumulated waste remained in storage ponds; pumping and treatment were planned to start in 2026 and the full set of works to finish in 2027.
Who paid?
Wage support and credit lines in 2009–2013 came from the federal government and Vnesheconombank (VEB). Clean-up funding since 2013 has come from the federal budget, including money which, according to Interfax, derives from the payment made by Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company for the 2020 Norilsk fuel spill.
Sources
Voices on record: ✓ Company or project✓ Government and regulators✓ Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society✓ Researchers✓ International bodies
Company or project
- Rosatom presented to the Deputy Prime Minister the progress of works at BPPMRosatom (Atommedia) · 2025-08-27
- FEO began installing process equipment at BPPMRosatom (Atommedia) · 2024-11-12
- Rosatom presented to Viktoria Abramchenko the results of works at BPPMRosatom (Atommedia) · 2024-04-23
Government and regulators
- Analytical report on federal budget execution, first half of 2019Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation · 2019
- On eliminating the negative impact of waste accumulated by OAO BPPM (government order)Government of the Russian Federation · 2017-08-24
- Order of 29.12.2022 No. 4344-р (Baikalsk development programme to 2040)Government of the Russian Federation · 2022-12-29
- The government approved subsidy rules for clean-up in the central ecological zone (Decree No. 1348)Government of the Russian Federation · 2025-09-02
- Dmitry Patrushev: systematic work will continueGovernment of the Russian Federation · 2026-07-01
Courts
- Decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 17.06.2010 No. ГКПИ10-321 (via pravo.ppt.ru)Supreme Court of the Russian Federation · 2010-06-17
Press and investigations
- Costs of the BPPM waste-liquidation project almost tripledInterfax · 2021-09-22
- Liquidation of BPPM waste has begunInterfax · 2023-06-05
- Environmental threats to Baikal from the BPPM site expected to be eliminated in 2028Interfax · 2025-05-22
- First stage of BPPM demolition completedInterfax · 2026-01-12
- Volga chemical-dump liquidator to handle BPPM wasteInterfax · 2020-03-23
- Rosatom may start liquidating BPPM's low-hazard waste in 2023Interfax · 2022-10-18
- Fate of Baikal Pulp & Paper Mill must be decided in next 2 months - DvorkovichInterfax · 2012-09-14
- Dvorkovich: Baikalsk Mill to Be ClosedThe Moscow Times · 2013-02-27
- Polluting Baikal Paper Mill Finally Shuts DownThe Moscow Times · 2013-10-13
- Baikal promised not to be "soaped up"Kommersant · 2022-10-31
- Dirty business: the decree signed by Putin threatens Baikal's purityLenta.ru · 2010-01-19
- Greenpeace asks to cancel the decree allowing BPPM's restartRIA Novosti · 2010-01-19
- BPPM entered bankruptcyRossiyskaya Gazeta · 2009-10-29
- BPPM wage claims (Slyudyansky District Court)Pravo.ru · 2009
- BPPM: statement by the Irkutsk governorPravo.ru · 2009
- BPPM 2008 loss and credit debtPravo.ru · 2009
- BPPM wage arrears: 87.6 million rubles allocatedPravo.ru · 2009
- Shuvalov on aid to BPPM workers and the mill's boardPravo.ru · 2009
- BPPM: allocations since the October 2008 stoppagePravo.ru · 2009
- Putin on BPPM and the ownersPravo.ru · 2009
- BPPM: Alfa Bank claim recognised; management statementPravo.ru · 2010
- Supreme Court cassation on the Baikal decreePravo.ru · 2010-08-12
- Charges against the BPPM bankruptcy manager (Investigative Committee press service)Pravo.ru · 2010-08-26
- VEB bought BPPM's debt for 1.75 bnBFM.ru · 2013-02-26
- Waste from the former mill got into BaikalBFM.ru · 2020-12-11
- Nikolaev said when the BPPM audit results will be knownParlamentskaya Gazeta · 2018-09-18
- Accounts Chamber criticised the "Protection of Lake Baikal" programmeParlamentskaya Gazeta · 2018-12-05
- Rosgeologia demands 230 mln back from Irkutsk OblastEastRussia · 2020-02-04
- Legal liquidation of BPPM completedOblastnaya Gazeta (Irkutsk) · 2024-10-10
- Mudflow-protection structure being rebuilt in BaikalskAtomic-Energy.ru (republishing NIA) · 2026-08-31
- MSU and FEO to test a BPPM waste-neutralisation technologyNIA Ekologiya · 2026-10-12
- Toxic waste may reach Baikal: authorities declare emergency regimeSnob · 2021-04-14
Researchers
- Explanatory note: BPPM landfill (Solzansky expert note)Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences · 2021
- "Ecological disaster" sites: RAS leadership and experts assessed reclamation prospectsSiberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences · 2021
- Joint complex expedition of LIN SB RAS with the Baikal Interregional Environmental Prosecutor's Office, 21-25 June 2024Limnological Institute SB RAS · 2024-06-27
- Industrial site of out-of-operation Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill as a potential source of pollution in Lake Baikal coastal zoneLimnology and Freshwater Biology (Zvereva et al.) · 2022-11-11
- Chironomids of the stony littoral Utulik-Murino in the BPPM impact zone, 1964-1996Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov) · 2008
- State of Lake Baikal bottom sediments near the former BPPMLomonosov-2015 conference (Bogush) · 2015
International bodies
- Decision 35 COM 7B.23, Lake Baikal (reproduced by InforMEA)UNESCO World Heritage Committee via InforMEA (UN) · 2011
- Decision 37 COM 7B.22, Lake Baikal (reproduced by InforMEA)UNESCO World Heritage Committee via InforMEA (UN) · 2013
Connected cases
Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
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- UNESCO World Heritage Committee (International organisation) — here: Decisions 35 COM 7B.23 and 37 COM 7B.22; there: 48th session, July 2026; draft decision proposed in-danger listing
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- Nornickel (MMC Norilsk Nickel) (Company) — here: Subsidiary NTEK paid the 2020 Norilsk spill payment that funds the clean-up; there: Funder of the programme and agreement partner
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- Greenpeace (NGO) — here: Co-applicant against Decree No. 1 (Greenpeace Russia); there: Declared victory on the Nap Hal wheat revocation
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- Greenpeace (NGO) — here: Co-applicant against Decree No. 1 (Greenpeace Russia); there: NGO; found UK plastic at sites in Adana
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