The upcoming ecological expedition of Fyodor Konyukhov was discussed in Kazan
Tatar-inform News Agency hosted a teleconference dedicated to the round-the-world ecological expedition of the famous Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov. The event, which brought together venues in Kazan and Dubai, was held in a hybrid format — offline and online. Deputy Minister Olga Manidicheva took part in the meeting on behalf of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan.
During the teleconference, participants from Tatarstan and the United Arab Emirates discussed the construction of a unique raft that will sail across three oceans in order to study the spread of microplastics.
"Fyodor Konyukhov's expedition is a large-scale scientific and environmental mission, extremely important and in tune with what we are doing ourselves as part of the national Environmental Well-being project. Tatarstan is not just a region where environmental programs are being implemented. We have created a working model in which science, government, business and society work together to solve the most difficult tasks. All forces are consolidating on our site to solve complex environmental issues," said Olga Manidicheva in her speech.
The Deputy Minister also spoke in detail about the systematic work of the Ministry for the Conservation of Water resources, which is based on accurate scientific data. Among the key projects are comprehensive monitoring of reservoirs on the Flamingo research vessel, the launch of a new domestic development by NAECO Aquatorium, and large-scale work to clean up the Kazanka River as part of the Free Current project, during which more than 900 bags of plastic were collected.
"We fully support the Mirrico project and the expedition of Fyodor Filippovich. The world Ocean is the cradle of life. Studying the distribution and effects of microplastics in the ocean will provide us with new scientific data. We are ready to study them together with the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan and propose our solutions," Olga Manidicheva noted.
A live broadcast took place from Dubai, where a raft is being built at the shipyard. Fyodor Konyukhov and the expedition's chief of staff, Oskar Konyukhov, conducted a virtual tour of the shipyard and spoke about the current stage of work, while Igor Malykhin, the founder of Mirrico, shared an assessment of the progress and key features of the vessel. Fyodor Konyukhov himself spoke about his impressions and readiness for the upcoming difficult journey.
The teleconference ended with a session of questions from media representatives and the awarding of the author of the best question with a memorable gift from a traveler.
The next key stage of the project will be the launching of the raft, scheduled for April 2026.