Earlier this year, Russian police raided a tiny Indigenous village in the Russian Arctic. They went house to house in the dead of night, threatening children and elders and confiscating food needed to make it through the winter.  

The community’s “crime”? Speaking out against the destruction of their land and contamination of their water by a Russian mining giant. 

It’s just one of countless examples of Russian Indigenous communities being persecuted. If they speak out in the face of stolen land, devastating oil spills, and contaminated water supplies, they face repression so swift and terrifying that there are only a handful of brave activists left. 

Those who remain desperately need to ramp up their security. But to do it, they urgently need the funds to gather in a safe place to get training to prepare for attacks, establish secure communication channels, and find ways to work together to make their voices heard.