May 21, 2023

Greenpeace Declared "Undesirable"


Greenpeace Declared "Undesirable"
Greenpeace action in Russia. greenpeaceru, Instagram

On May 19, the Russian General Procurator announced on Telegram that the environmental network Greenpeace International was declared an "undesirable organization," entirely banning its activities in the country. This decision comes after a history of friction between the Russian government and the Canadian-founded climate organization.

For 30 years, Greenpeace has worked in Russia on waste separation, protecting reserves and national parks like Lake Baikal, and fighting the wildfires in Siberia, among other actions and campaigns. But their fight against oil and gas extraction set off alarms in the Russian government. The country heavily relies on income from fossil fuels, as it is one of the world's top three petroleum producers. In 2013, 30 Greenpeace International activists in the "Artic Sunrise" ship, its crew, and journalists were arrested at gunpoint after campaigners attempted to scale Gazprom's Prirazlomonoe off-shore drilling platform.

After the war in Ukraine broke out, Greenpeace International preached "Peace, not oil." The organization has denounced EU imports of Russian oil, claiming it fueled President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine. After being banned, Greenpeace said, "This misguided decision effectively indicates that it is 'undesirable' to protect nature in Russia."

 

You Might Also Like

The VIP Tour of Ukraine
  • April 28, 2023

The VIP Tour of Ukraine

In which our correspondent visits Irpin and Bucha, offering thoughts on publicity and redemption.
Russia is on Fire
  • May 18, 2023

Russia is on Fire

According to Greenpeace, 5 million hectares of Russian's forests are burning.
Screws are Tightening
  • April 12, 2023

Screws are Tightening

March has seen a serious tightening of the screws of repression by the Russian regime.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955