Fyodor Severyanin
Translated by Jennifer Castner
Last year, Russia declared “illegal” its largest international environmental organizations, groups that had worked in the country for over 30 years. Pressure continues unabated on remaining environmental activists, in part due to their anti-war views.
Environmental activists and organizations advocating for nature conservation in Russia have become another target in the country, swept into the government’s fight against anti-war and opposition views. The Environmental Crisis Group published a fresh overview of environmental activism in Russia in 2023, from which it is clear that the past year saw dramatically increased repression of environmental organizations and activists. All major international environmental NGOs have been deemed “undesirable”, resulting in the closure of their offices. In addition, Russian citizens are subject to criminal prosecution for collaborating with or even posting links to these organizations’ materials. Many organizations, initiatives, and even mass media have been recognized as “foreign agents”. Overall, this resulted in restrictions on activities, widespread closures of organizations, jobs losses, and persecution of many people. Publicly available sources alone documented over 200 cases of pressure on environmental activists and organizations in 2023, including searches, arrests, administrative fines, and other enforcement measures.
Lessons on the persecution of eco-activists
Over the course of 2023, Russian Social-Ecological Union (RSEU) experts recorded government pressure against 174 environmental activists and 29 environmental associations (15 organizations and 14 initiative groups). 43 cases in Moscow, Krasnodar Krai (15), Bashkortostan (12), and Kemerovo (11), Ivanovo (7), Leningrad (7) regions “led” the clampdown on environmental activists in 2023.
The most alarming incidents involved physical attacks injuring 32 activists, who received injuries of varying severity. For example, environmentalists believe that men thought to have been hired by StroyStandard LLC attacked passersby who commented on the illegality of work underway in Moscow’s Bitsevsky Forest. According to activists, guards beat women, children, and elderly people.
Another high-profile incident occurred over the summer in Krasnodar, where an unknown person beat environmental activist Roman Taganov. The man visited the activist’s office, demanding that he “shut up” and stop writing on the Internet. Then he forced the man out of the office to an area without CCTV cameras, saying he was “taking him to kill him.” After that, the attacker grabbed him by the neck, striking him in the face. Taganov was taken to city Hospital No. 3 with a suspected concussion; doctors also recorded a hematoma on his arm. Taganov filed a complaint with the police about the attack, but he was denied the opportunity to initiate criminal proceedings.
Not only have activists been physically attacked, but their property has been vandalized as well. At least six people suffered damage to their property as a result of crackdowns. In May, a house burned down belonging to residents of Polyot-2 Chelyabinsk Gardening Partnership. They had been campaigning against the Novosmolinsky Quarry and had won an inspection of the site. According to the building’s owner, firefighters told him that both the grass on the property and the house’s interior had been set on fire, but official reports by the Ministry of Emergency Situations only noted “careless handling of fire.”
Activists were also subjected to administrative harassment, resulting in at least 78 citations for administrative violations. Most often, these were related to organizing events, such as citations for “violation of established procedures for organizing a meeting, rally, demonstration, procession, or picketing” and “failing to obey the lawful order of a police officer.” Administrative fines imposed on activists totaled a minimum of 338,300 rubles. Six people were subjected to administrative arrests for a total duration of 54 days.
In 2023, political motivation grew to pressure environmental activists. These activists are seen as opponents of the regime and are subject to politically motivated articles and measures.
Ten new criminal cases were filed citing “use of violence against a government official,” “public calls for terrorist activities,” and others. For example, Article 280 of Russia’s Criminal Code (“Public calls for extremism”) was used against activist Mikhail Ivanov. Five activists were sentenced, including one fine and four suspended sentences.
One high-profile case was the 12 October detention in Ufa, Bashkortostan of environmental activist Fail Alsynov, a defender of the proposed UNESCO Natural Heritage site Kushtau who had spoken out against environmentally-damaging gold mining. The activist was charged with “inciting hatred or enmity” (Article 282, Part 2 in Russia’s Criminal Code) during a speech on 28 April in front of a gathering during which gold mining near the village was protested. The immediate justification for Alsynov’s arrest was his uttering the phrase “kara halyk,” during the rally against the gold mining company. In the Bashkir language a literal translation refers to “black people,” a derogatory and racist term in Russian for people from the Caucasus and Central Asia. Alsynov claims that his words were incorrectly translated. In a media interview, the activist associated his detention with his statement that “while our guys are fighting in Ukraine, here in Bashkortostan their lands are being seized” during the speech. “Of course, I said that I admit no guilt. There is nothing criminal in my statements. If necessary, I will order an independent evaluation. It is clear that the case against me is fabricated. They [the security forces] have spent the last year sniffing around me, trying to find something illegal, but everyone knows that I didn’t do anything like that. I was busy with work, home, raising children,” added Alsynov. In March 2023, FSB officers searched his home and he was charged with “discrediting” the Russian army. Alsynov described the war in Ukraine a “genocide” of the Bashkir people, pointing to the large number of Bashkirs conscripted into the Russian army.
In January 2024, Alsynov was sentenced to four years in prison. More than a thousand people attended in support of Alsynov on the day of his sentencing. The police used tear gas and stun grenades and beat demonstrators with batons. Roughly twenty protesters sought medical help. At least ten participants were placed under administrative arrest, cited for failing to obey police demands or violating the rules for holding rallies. At present, rally participants are being prosecuted in criminal cases opened for their participation in mass riots.
2023 was also an unprecedented year for the destruction of environmental organizations. Three organizations involved in environmental activities were listed as foreign agents, a move accompanied by significant restrictions on their work. Five additional organizations were recognized as “undesirable in the Russian Federation,” in particular, the country’s two largest – World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Russia) and Greenpeace International. Undesirable status means that continuation of the organization’s work, use of its symbols, distribution of its publications, and the sharing of links to publications in the public domain are subject to criminal prosecution in the Russian Federation, even if the actions occurred several years earlier.
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One method of persecution is blocking access to social media. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office blocked the environmental activism group “We Live in Omsk” on VKontakte. The group wrote about cutting down trees, hunting, and shooting stray animals. Activists cleared garbage and planted trees in and around Omsk.
Law enforcement practices
In 2023, the Russian government used a range of laws, both administrative and criminal, to pressure environmental activists in Russia.
Article 20.2 of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses (Violation of the established procedure for organizing or holding a meeting, rally, demonstration, procession or picketing): This article was used the most frequently and was the basis of 24 administrative citations.
Part 1 of Article 19.3 of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses (Disobeying a lawful order issued by a police officer): This article was applied 18 times and was used in cases where activists refused to obey the order of police officers.
Article 5.26 of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses (Violation of laws on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, and religious associations): 11 administrative citations were drawn up under this article, and all of them concerned a single activist – Yuri Koretskikh.
Article 20.1 of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses (Petty hooliganism): Ten administrative citations were issued using this article in relation to activists who participated in protests.
Article 20.2.2 of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses (Organization of mass simultaneous presence and (or) movement of citizens in public spaces resulting in a violation of public order): Five administrative citations were drawn up under this article in cases where activists organized mass events.
Article 280 of Russia’s Criminal Code (public calls for extremism): One criminal case has been opened under this article in connection with comments made on the VKontakte platform.
Adapting to new conditions
Environmental non-profits and activists have been forced to adapt their work in response to changes in legislation and increased pressure. As a rule, they refuse foreign funding and are revising their work strategies, reducing the number of projects, carefully choosing partners, and limiting their activities to avoid conflicts.
In 2023, environmental activism in Russia was closely linked to the general political environment and military activities, leading to significant changes in the activities and perceptions of environmental activists. Many of these activists have participated in anti-war actions or expressed their position against the war, resulting in additional government pressure.
Over 40 cases of pressure on activists for their anti-war position have been documented, including detentions, beatings, and threats. Russia’s law that prohibits calling a war a war has forced many activists and organizations to remove their public anti-war statements or face persecution for keeping them.
During this period, labeling Russian activists and environmental organizations as “foreign agents” also continued, including the Omsk Civil Association, which organized public campaigns opposing wide-scale logging, captive hunting, and shooting homeless strays; conducted environmental cleanups and tree-planting in Omsk, and shared news with the public about ecology and urban planning. At the end of the year, online publication Kedr.Media was labeled a foreign agent in response to articles openly describing the war in Ukraine as a war and the environmental consequences of military actions.
Despite these difficulties, the environmental movement in Russia continues to develop, seeking ways to circumvent repressive legislation and evade intensifying persecution. Activists adapt to new conditions, opening new environmental organizations and media initiatives, inventing coded “Aesopian” language to avoid the government’s slippery slope, and continuing the fight for environmental values and rights, despite the increasing pressure. These adaptations highlight the importance of civic activism and the need to protect environmental and civil rights even in challenging times.
Human rights activities
Human rights defenders in Russia also play an important role in providing legal support to ensure the protection of environmental activists rights. In 2023, 19 administrative violation cases against defenders of Moscow’s Troitsky and Bitsevsky forests were closed. In addition, a court decision resulted in fines in the case of the beating of a Bitsevsky Forest activist. Moscow environmental activists also secured the conviction of a police officer who falsified reports of administrative violations. Shies’s lawyer partially won two cases against the colony administration.
Human rights activists are actively working at the international level as well, drawing the attention of the world community to the rights of environmental activists in Russia. In addition, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled on several compensation cases affecting 58 environmental activists. The amount of compensation totaled €232,800, although this concerned cases that occurred in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Looking ahead
Recent developments demonstrate the serious challenges that environmental activists in Russia continue to face. Political pressure, harder line legislation, and restrictions on activities create unfavorable conditions for environmental conservation work. Despite these difficulties, the environmental movement persists inside Russia. Prospects for the future are uncertain, but environmental issues remain relevant in civil society, and the environmental movement and its initiatives have not disappeared. Today, environmental conservation and the fight for environmental justice continue to be important components for the development (and survival) of civil society in Russia.
