Bashneft (part of Rosneft), with the support of the Ministry of Nature Management and Ecology of the Republic of Bashkortostan and as part of the Environmental Wellbeing national project, has commenced the cleanup of Lake Bannoye, also known as Yaktykul (meaning Bright Lake in the Bashkir language), from excess algae. The goal of the project is to restore the ecological balance of the region's deepest major water body.

The company has deployed a fleet of multifunctional Russian amphibious vehicles that is unique to the region. This specialized machinery, equipped with pontoon attachments, is capable of moving freely across the water, mowing vegetation in the deeper parts of the body of water, collecting it, and safely transporting it to the shore.

The main problem facing Lake Yaktykul is the introduced plant Canadian waterweed. It rapidly fills water basins, which disrupts their economic use. To date, the plant has spread across an area of more than 40 hectares of the lake's water surface. Mechanical cleaning of the water body is a necessary measure that will help restore sunlight penetration, saturate the water with oxygen, and minimize the scale of autumn biomass decomposition.

Simultaneously with the operation of the special machinery on the water, Bashneft volunteers, as part of the All-Russian Water of Russia campaign, cleaned the shoreline of tourist and household waste and also organized an ecological run in the plogging format*. This comprehensive approach will make it not only possible to tidy up the water area but also ensure the cleanliness of the shoreline at this popular tourist recreation destination.

Lake Bannoye is located in the Abzelilovsky District of Bashkortostan and has held the status of a hydrological natural monument since 1965. The area of the water body reaches nearly 8 square kilometers, and its maximum depth is 28 meters. The lake is fed primarily by springs, which ensures exceptional water transparency of at least 4 meters. Valuable fish species live here—such as peled—as well as rare inhabitants listed in the Red Book of Bashkortostan: whitefish and the southern ninespine stickleback.

The lake cleanup continues the systematic work of Bashkir oil workers to preserve water bodies. Previously, Bashneft restored the coniferous framing of the largest lake, Aslykul, by planting 126,000 pine and larch seedlings over the course of 4 years. The young forest naturally prevents soil erosion, the swamping of the shoreline, and the ingress of organic matter from adjacent agricultural land into the water body.

*Plogging is an ecological jog that harmoniously combines classical jogging with the collection of plastic and household waste along the route.

Department of Information and Advertising
Rosneft
September 10, 2026

Keywords: Environmental news 2026