Vladimir Slivyak, one of Russia's most prominent environmentalists and winner of the Right Livelihood Award, has been classified as a “foreign agent” by the Russian Ministry of Justice. The reason given by the Russian authorities is that he spread “false information” about Russia's armed forces in the war in Ukraine.
The “foreign agent” classification has severe consequences for his freedom of travel and his safety. Countries cooperating with Russia could hand him over to the Russian authorities. As criminal charges are now likely to follow in Russia, his property there, including an apartment, could be confiscated.
Vladimir Slivyak comments: “My classification as a ‘foreign agent’ proves once again how afraid the Russian regime is of its own civil society. It wants to hide from the Russian people what the armed forces are doing in Ukraine, how badly Russian coal mines are harming people and nature, and what dangers Russia's nuclear deals pose to the world. I want to make it crystal clear: This act of intimidation will not silence me. Our fight for dignity and justice is stronger than the autocrats' playbook.”
Heffa Schuecking, Executive Director of the environmental and human rights organization Urgewald, says: “I have the utmost respect for the fearless and successful work of our friend Vladimir Slivyak. He is an inspiring example for activists worldwide who are fighting for an intact environment and human rights in their countries. Anyone who wants to harm him wants to harm us all. We stand in solidarity with him.”
Vladimir Slivyak is co-founder of the Russian NGO Ecodefense and was awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize (“Right Livelihood Award”) in 2021[1]. He has made a name for himself in particular through his work against the impacts of the Russian coal and nuclear industries. He is respected worldwide for his expertise on the harmful activities of the Russian state-owned company Rosatom, a key geopolitical instrument for the Kremlin.[2]
As one of Russia's most prominent environmental and peace activists, Vladimir Slivyak was forced to move his work abroad in 2022 after landing on the Russian secret services’ radar. Ecodefense as an organization was classified as a “foreign agent” back in 2014. The NGO’s co-director, Alexandra Koroleva, applied for political asylum in Germany in 2019.
Photos & video material on Vladimir Slivyak:
https://rightlivelihood.resourcespace.com/pages/search.php?search=%21collection860&k=eb155bdd20
____________________
Notes:
[1] https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/vladimir-slivyak/
[2] https://www.urgewald.org/en/shop/rosatom-russias-nuclear-trojan-horse-eu
