25/8/2021 Environmental Activism in Russia: Strategies and Prospects | Center for Strategic and International Studies

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Environmental Activism in Russia:

Strategies and Prospects
March 3, 2021

Despite growing pressure on civil society activists and opposition leaders,

grassroots environmental activism is on the rise in Russia. How have these
movements evolved and adapted? What forms do they take now? And what
is the future of environmental activism in Russia?

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The last few years have witnessed growing environmental awareness

across Russia’s regions, both according to polls and the number of
observed protest movements and campaigns. (A good mapping of such
protests can be found on crowd-sourcing platform Activatica
<http://activatica.org/>.) These campaigns aim to tackle regional, local, or
hyper-local problems and address a range of concerns: locally polluting
enterprises, new and potentially hazardous factories and waste
incinerators, the expansion of coal mines, a lack of access to
trustworthy data about environmental pollution, the destruction of
green spaces in urban areas, illegal logging, and the water pollution. 

A number of factors contribute to this growing environmental

awareness and activism. For one, the international “green” agenda has
brought environmental concerns to the forefront of domestic political,
societal, and media discussions. Research
<https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08941920.2015.1037410> increasingly draws a
link between high income levels and environmental awareness (even
as the increased consumption of high earners raises their carbon
footprint <https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/press/pressinformation/higher-income-earners-
usually-have-higher-climate>). Although Russians’ real disposable incomes have
mostly declined <https://www.russiamatters.org/node/17217> since 2014, the
country’s GDP per capita has nearly doubled since 2000. Russians now
find that it has become “normal” to care about environmental issues,
demand access to environmental data, and worry about potential
health hazards from environmental pollution.

Indeed, 35 percent of Russians are ready to take part in environmental

protests, according to a survey

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<https://www.vedomosti.ru/society/articles/2020/11/29/848723-polovina-rossiyan> conducted by
a number of sociological centers in the fall of 2020, with particular
concern over industrial water pollution, illegal logging, illegal or
mismanaged waste landfills, and urban water pollution. Another study
from the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VSIOM) published
in August 2020 revealed <https://www.the-village.ru/shorts/ekoligia-i-pandemiya> one in
four Russians has begun to think more about environmental issues
during the pandemic due to overall increased attention to health. The
Levada Center, an independent pollster, found that <https://otr-
online.ru/news/bolshe-80-rossiyan-obespokoeny-problemami-ekologii-144894.html> 84 percent of
Russians are worried about environmental problems; of those, 25
percent expressed highest concern over air pollution, 15 percent over
water pollution, and 11 percent over waste management.

This growth in environmental awareness in Russia has coincided with a

growing concern that local natural resources—“our land” and  “our
forests”—are exploited or mismanaged by multinational or domestic
companies, and that profits from these resources are whisked away to
Moscow or foreign capitals to the detriment of local communities. In
this sense, heightened environmental awareness intermingles with
Russia’s traditional center-region cultural and political divide and
growing regional inequalities
<https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/29866/126805-wp-wbrollingback-

public.pdf?sequence=8>.

The landscape for environmental activism in Russia is more fluid and

decentralized than in the West—but it has grown. New environmental
groups in Russia are informal and frequently do not register as

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nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Rather, they spring up around

a particular issue and often dissolve once it has been addressed, only
occasionally evolving into a larger and more permanent association.
Despite their informal structures, many of these new civil society
groups have managed to attract impressive levels of public attention
and support, aptly utilizing both traditional and new media and
building up capacity and involvement structures through online tools.
One example is the successful campaign around the Shies settlement in
the Archangelsk region of northern Russia, where for months local
activists have sustained an encampment to block the construction
<https://bellona.org/news/industrial-pollution/2020-01-the-shies-camp-how-moscows-trash-became-

treasure-for-a-group-of-environmental-protestors> of a landfill for household waste

from Moscow.

These grassroots movements and groups provoke a range of reactions

from state authorities. Some are tolerated and even brought into the
policy process (e.g., “officially” invited into advisory councils).
Occasionally, these campaigns also lead to real change. Such was the
case in Bashkiria, where recent protests over limestone mining in a
hillside viewed by local residents as sacred led to the cancellation of
the project <https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/russias-kushtau-mountain-gets-protected-status-
2020-9-3-41/>.

More often, however, campaigns butt up against political realities,

leading to the prosecution of activists and even physical threats and
abuse toward to them by state institutions, often on behalf of a private
company. A case in point would be persecution of activists <https://eu-russia-
csf.org/persecution-of-environmental-activists-is-not-the-solution-to-the-environmental-problems/>

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from the Voronezh region for fighting against copper and nickel
exploration plans on agricultural lands, even though these plans have
been put on hold. A recent report <https://rusecounion.ru/index.php?q=ru/ehrd2020> by
the Russian Socio-Ecological Union highlights 169 episodes of pressure
on 450 eco-activists in 26 regions of Russia in 2020. One activist was
killed, 15 were injured or had their property damaged, and 14 criminal
and 264 administrative cases were initiated against eco-activists. “Most
cases of pressure on eco-activists are connected with the extraction of
natural resources, waste management, polluting industries and
construction projects,” the report says.

Types of Activism
Environmental activism in Russia falls into several categories.

Protest groups

The first category tends to work mostly on short-lived campaigns

directed against a local source of pollution (i.e., a factory or an
incineration plant) or against plans to erect new infrastructure on an
existing green space, particularly in urban areas. Participants in this
category tend to be residents of the region or neighborhood who
organize through social networks and then dissolve once their cause is
addressed. Occasionally, these groups form networks or associations
based on common interests and causes, such as the Green Coalition of
St. Petersburg <https://vk.com/greencospb>, which aims to unite all grassroots
groups fighting against demolition of parks and green zones, or the
Association of Eco-Groups of Moscow and Moscow Region
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecomoscowregion>

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Grassroots environmental groups

The second type of group tends to focus on issues that are absent from
the governmental agenda: recycling <https://letsbikeit.ru/>, sustainable or
ethical consumption <https://tepertak.ru/>, urban greening
<https://www.ozelenimvse.ru/>, and more. An example here would be the
movement Razdelny Sbor <https://rsbor.ru/> (“Separate Selection”), which
created a system of recycling points across many Russian cities. These
types of groups rarely engage in protest activities and tend to focus
their energies and resources on lobbying and engaging the general
public though traditional and social media.

Environmental watchdogs

The third genre of environmental activism in Russia focuses on public

monitoring and oversight of environmental and urban policy at the
federal, regional, and municipal level, including project
implementation and public funds spending. Watchdogs might also
provide alternate estimations of environmental data (especially when
data is not available or reliable) or initiate campaigns for access to
environmental data, demanding transparency and accountability.
Examples here include grassroots initiatives to create alternative, civic-
based monitoring of air pollution in Krasnoyarsk <https://nebo.live/>,
Chelyabinsk <https://chelbreathe.ru/>, and Moscow <https://breathe.moscow/>.

Tactics
Activists also use a variety of tactics to achieve their goals.

Social media and informational technology

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Social media platforms, including VK, Facebook, WhatsApp, and

increasingly Telegram, are the lifeblood of new environmental groups.
They are used to report news and provide updates on activities and
achievements, publish statistics, mobilize public support, and raise
awareness over the campaign’s cause. A number of activists from
environmental campaigns have also launched their own personal blogs,
which act as self-run media sources offering personal takes on recent
changes in legislation and synchronizing campaign updates and news.
Anna Garkusha of Razdelny Sbor, for example, runs a popular blog
<http://garkusha-ansha.ru/> on recycling and waste policy.

Another distinct feature of the new wave of environmental movements

in Russia is the use of information technology and open-source data
tools, including mapping, organized hackathons, and web platforms,
apps, and other user-friendly interfaces that facilitate wider
communication and greater involvement of the general public. Several
environmental groups cooperate closely with experts or activists from
the tech industry. An interesting example here is Teplitsa Sozialnykh
Technologiy <https://te-st.ru/> (“A Greenhouse for Social Technologies”), an
NGO resource center that helps activist groups better use online
technologies and digital tools and solutions in their work and
campaigns.

Engagement with authorities

Although civil groups face growing pressure in Russia, there are plenty
of examples of environmental NGOs and activists working through
more formal channels to achieve their political aims. For example,

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Moscow’s annual Russian Civil Forum <https://civil-forum.ru/> provides a space

for representatives of established environmental NGOs and new
environmental groups to try to coordinate with each other and align
their positions on environmental policy issues. In addition, the Russian
Social Ecological Union’s annual conference
<https://rusecounion.ru/ru/climateconference2020> convenes representatives of
Russian civil society groups (both registered and grassroots groups)
working on energy efficiency and renewable energy issues to develop
positions in support of or against international and Russian climate
policy. These position points <https://rusecounion.ru/ru/doc_rseu_161119> are later
shared with Russian decisionmakers on climate change policy and with
the international community at UN climate conferences.

However, productive engagement with authorities is not always

politically feasible—in particular when the object of protest concerns
an investment project or a corruption scheme involving both local
authorities and companies. Here, too, there are no set rules. Citizens
may organize protest campaigns and attempt to attract the attention of
regional or federal authorities via media and popular mobilization; go
to the courts with the backing of professional lawyers, many of whom
are also supported by NGOs such as Bellona or Greenpeace; enter into a
dialogue with the local authorities via the civic chamber or similar
structures; or combine these tactics to build pressure at multiple levels.
In some cases, activists are persecuted by regional authorities and
forced to leave the region (and even the country).

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Regional authorities must walk a fine line between effectively

managing environmental grievances and avoiding the heavy-handed
persecution of activists or suppression of public opinion that could
potentially damage their reputation. Indeed, a number of regional
governors have lost their positions
<https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2020/04/02/826934-gubernator-arhangelskoi> following
large-scale environmental protests that they failed to tackle properly, at
least in Moscow’s view. With this in mind, some governors are more
willing to initiate dialogue with local activists just to avoid escalation.

Financing

Overall, the landscape for environmental activism in Russia is

becoming more decentralized and less formal. A growing number of
new groups and movements choose to remain unregistered entities—
with no office, no full-time staff, and little or no budget—for a variety of
political and societal reasons. First, repressive foreign agent legislation
<https://www.rbc.ru/politics/23/12/2020/5fe3038d9a794762ee9e4330> has raised the stakes
for established NGOs who receive part of their financing from outside
of Russia; increasingly, new environmental groups in Russia try to
avoid any direct financing from abroad. Second, new groups try to
preemptively avoid pressure from the authorities in the form of tax
audits and health and fire code inspections that can lead to legal
charges, fines, and even closure. Third, by skirting typical
organizational or foundational structures, these groups can also claim
to be closer to the ground and more connected to the immediate
interests and concerns of local communities—working on local as

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opposed to global issues. More and more often, activism takes the form
of crowdfunding campaigns or private donations only in an attempt to
remain transparent to donors and accountable to constituencies.

Global movements

Even as activist structures have become more local and decentralized,

youth climate activism in Russia has begun to gain steam over the past
two years, in part due to the global “Fridays For Our Future” (FFF) and
“Extinction Rebellion” movements. The first youth climate protest
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-climate-change-activists/in-the-shadow-of-strict-protest-laws-

young-russians-build-a-climate-movement-iduskbn1wc18n> in Russia took place in March

2019, and FFF has existed in digital form throughout the pandemic,
organizing online protests and forming policy positions.

Though part of a global movement, these youth groups have attempted

to formulate <https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/stories-from-the-global-climate-strike-in-sudan-
nigeria-thailand-india-russia/> a Russia-specific agenda and apply global climate
rhetoric to local environmental campaigns. These groups combine the
experience, expertise, and technologies of Russia’s environmental
tradition—honed in fights against new coal and gas infrastructure and
for accountability over oil spills and landfill mismanagement—and the
language of the global youth, emphasizing unsustainable economic and
social developments and calling for major policy reforms in the energy,
waste, and transportation sectors. At times, however, these structural
demands can sound too radical and unrealistic for some of Russia’s
more established green groups.

Principles of Successful Activism

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The past and current experiences of grassroots movements illustrate a

framework for subsequent campaigns to follow. For an environmental
activist movement to be successful in Russia, a number of factors must
be in place: 

1. The campaign must be truly local, with limited foreign support

(which would be described and promoted as “meddling” and lead
to accusations of “foreign agent” involvement that might ruin the
reputation of a campaign or its leaders). 

2. The cause must have widespread public support (including people

eager and ready to invest their time and money into the cause). 

3. The cause must be supported by the expert community. Support

from Russian Greenpeace and WWF Russia, as well as other expert
centers, environmental lawyers, registered NGOs, think tanks, and
scientists, can help to raise the problem to the federal level.

4. There must be a professional media and social media campaign to

build up a network of trusted supporters across the country.

5. The campaign needs passionate and courageous leaders who are

willing to dedicate their time and energy for a significant amount
of time. 

The Future of Environmental Activism in Russia

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The development of environmental and climate activism in Russia is

gradually changing the political and societal landscape. “Green” topics
are gaining importance within the overall political agenda, both at the
federal and regional level. As public awareness of environmental issues
grows in Russia, companies are beginning to pay more attention as
well. So far, most of these movements are concentrated around the
local environmental agenda, but youth are bringing a more
international outlook to the focus and methods of Russian
environmental activism. In many ways, this activism lays the
groundwork for a new and more engaged civil society in Russia, one
that resists easy categorization but appears in many forms across
Russia’s diverse regions.

Angelina Davydova is a visiting fellow with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia
Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in
Washington, D.C.

Commentary is produced by the Center for Strategic and International

Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on
international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and
nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions.
Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this
publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).

© 2021 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All

rights reserved.

Angelina Davydova

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25/8/2021 Environmental Activism in Russia: Strategies and Prospects | Center for Strategic and International Studies

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Chief Communications Officer

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