Russia's Clean Air Federal Programme

Russia's Clean Air federal programme (Федеральный проект «Чистый воздух») was a component of the National Ecology Project, launched in 2019 under the supervision of the Ministry of Natural Resources. The programme targets a reduction in atmospheric pollutant emissions in Russia's most heavily industrialised cities.

Phase 1 Cities (2019–2026)

The first phase covered 12 cities with historically high pollution levels: Bratsk, Krasnoyarsk, Lipetsk, Magnitogorsk, Mednogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Novokuznetsk, Norilsk, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Cherepovets, and Chita. The target for these cities was a reduction of at least 20% in total emissions compared to the 2017 baseline by end of 2026. By 2025, four cities — Novokuznetsk, Norilsk, Chelyabinsk, and Cherepovets — had already met their targets; the remaining eight were required to do so by end of 2026.

Phase 2 Expansion (2023–2036)

From September 2023, the programme expanded to an additional 29 cities, predominantly in Siberia and the Far East, with a combined population of approximately 7 million. These cities were required to reduce emissions by 20% by end of 2030 compared to 2020 levels, and by 50% by 2036. The programme was extended to 2030 by President Putin in February 2023.

Key Measures

Measures implemented under the programme included modernisation of coal-fired CHP stations (including installation of electrostatic precipitators and conversion to natural gas), replacement of private coal-fired heating with cleaner alternatives, introduction of electric and gas-powered public transport, and expansion of the atmospheric monitoring network to over 100 new air quality monitoring stations. In 2026, the government approved updated comprehensive emission reduction plans for all participating cities.

Funding

In 2023, federal funding for the programme was cut by approximately 42% compared to previously approved levels, reducing the budget to 4.2 billion rubles (approximately $47 million) for 2024. The chair of the State Parliament's ecology committee publicly questioned how the presidential targets could be met under such financing. Expenditure was projected to increase again in 2025–2026.

Results and Assessment

As of September 2024, average emissions across the 12 original cities stood at 85.6% of the 2017 baseline, with results varying significantly by city — from 76.4% in Cherepovets to 98.4% in Norilsk. In 12 cities, 190,000 air quality measurements were conducted, with exceedances of maximum permissible concentrations recorded in 3.9% of cases. The main pollutants of concern were benzo[a]pyrene and particulate matter. By 2025, more than 5,800 households had switched to cleaner heating. The effectiveness of 440 out of 625 planned ecological measures had been confirmed; overall results were to be formally assessed in 2027. An independent academic assessment published in January 2025 noted that the programme's key performance indicators underwent significant changes during 2018–2024: the emission reduction target was lowered from 22% to 20%, and the measurement methodology was revised. The study also found that the programme lacked separate targets for individual pollutants, with the overall metric based on gross mass of emissions rather than concentrations of specific harmful substances.

Coal Power Stations

Coal-fired power stations featured prominently in the programme's implementation. The head of the Clean Air project office noted that coal generation was the dominant source of pollution in the majority of the newer 29 participant cities. Experts argued that a full resolution of air quality problems would require conversion of all coal CHP capacity to gas — a measure constrained by the cost and limited availability of gas supply in many Siberian cities.