Why I Took Russia to Court for the Climate
I grew up in the Russian Arctic. I remember my first protest for the climate at a summer camp in the Khibiny mountains in Murmansk region. Back then in 2010 it still was possible to protest without consequences. We were told and shown by the local Sami people that their culture is disappearing together with the shrinking winter season and melting permafrost.
I started 20 years ago as a part of the youth activist group. We were cleaning lakes and forests from garbage, but soon I saw that garbage will appear again and again. We were raising awareness at schools and on the streets. I thought that climate change would be stopped if people were more educated about it, but found out that education isn’t enough. The real problem is not the lack of knowledge, but the abuse of power by those who have too much of it. I realised that the real solutions should not only address environmental impacts, but address the root causes, in particular elite power and an unsustainable economic system.
Now my work is supporting activists all across Russia – many of them young, Indigenous, or simply locals trying to save their land. But every month, more of them are detained, labeled foreign agents, or forced into silence or exile. Today in Russia we face not just climate and environmental collapse, but the collapse of civil society.
In 2022, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after a year and a half of thorough preparation, we filed the first ever collective lawsuit against the Russian government’s climate inaction. For me this was not only an extremely important lawsuit in terrible circumstances; this was a major step in cooperation with environmental, indigenous, youth and human rights groups, activists and lawyers brought together. We filed this case not just for ourselves — but to show the world what’s happening, and to challenge the lies told by those in power: instead of emissions reduction Russia, the fourth world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, is planning to increase the pollution.
Since the beginning of the lawsuit most of the applicants have been forced into exile, have had to abandon their work, or fear for their safety. Environmental and indigenous leaders and groups were labelled ‘foreign agents’ or even ‘extremists’ for telling the truth and defending their lands. I myself in order to speak the truth openly and continue my work had to flee from my country and leave behind many things I love.
After being denied in the Russian Supreme and Constitutional courts we turned to the European Court on Human Rights as the last resort. This is the only legal avenue left for us to stop one of the world’s biggest emitters from killing the planet.
For two years now, the climate lawsuit against Russia has sat untouched at the European Court of Human Rights. Europe’s highest court has ignored Russia’s climate victims who are risking everything to protect the climate, and who need the most support now.
Across Russia, environmental degradation is progressing daily, Russia’s average temperature is rising 2.5x faster than the global average. On top of the climate destruction, ecosystems are collapsing – and so are our freedoms. Every day of delay is a step into catastrophe: both environmental and societal. Delay for our lawsuit is betrayal of our hopes for justice. If the Court continues to stall, it sends a message that even Europe’s human rights system is not willing to hold a regime like Russia accountable. That’s not just dangerous – it’s devastating for both democracy and the planet.
Some people ask why this court ruling still matters when Russia ignores the decisions of international courts anyway. Russia says it respects the Paris climate agreement, while in reality we only see more pollution and persecution. The ruling could be the first official statement of exposing Russia’s lies and treaty violations. We can point to it and use it in our advocacy work — either in a future, better Russia, or on the international stage: at the UN and in trade talks — wherever Russia is still present. We want to make the truth harder to ignore.
I’ve seen in Russia rivers poisoned, forests burned, lands destroyed, communities flooded, voices silenced. But I’ve also seen courage rise in places where it should’ve been impossible. Every day in Russia we see small victories — a forest saved, a dump site blocked. But to keep going we need support and protection. Some of us may have lost our homes, but not our will to fight. This case is our last line of defense: for the climate, for freedom, for truth.
Standing along with my comrades inside and outside of Russia, I’m asking the world to help carry our voices further: to break through the silence. If you believe in justice and solidarity, please sign this petition: https://tinyurl.com/2scahhrm and share with hashtag #RussianClimateCase
Vitaly Servetnik, Environmental Crisis Group
In the lead up to the presentation of her latest report to the UN General Assembly in October 2025, the Special Rapporteur invited human rights defenders working on climate change and a just transition to share their insights, experience and hopes in guest blogs. They will be accessible at: https://srdefenders.org/human-rights-defenders-and-climate-change/
