For your “security,” they want to destroy protected areas: a new bill against the country’s nature reserve system.

So, Allies! Let’s gather our strength — and continue our fight for nature.

The situation around the bill aimed at abolishing and liquidating SPNAs (Specially Protected Natural Areas) has worsened. Let me remind you that for a long time now, together we have been defending the country’s protected-area system from groups of officials who are actively trying to push through a project to seize control of SPNAs. They demand permission to change SPNA boundaries however they want, cut out pieces, hand them over to business interests, and even abolish (cancel) protected status altogether at their own discretion.

They tried to force this bill through three times, and now it’s the fourth attempt — we are doing everything we can to stop it. But as you know, we have little strength, and it’s becoming almost unreal to keep fighting.

It looks like the lobbyists decided to come at it from another angle. Directly from the government, and under the cover of adopting the bill that allows logging at Lake Baikal, another bill, No. 1096223-8, was initiated — and it openly proposes “developing” SPNAs at the federal level. But they approached it very cunningly: the main goal is to cut down ancient forests and change SPNA boundaries; this is presented as construction of facilities for defense and security needs, but then they “casually” add that organizing and carrying out tourism is also permitted. And they introduce a mechanism for placing “federal-significance facilities” in cases where there are “no other options” — that is, a purely economic motive. A very crafty move!

So! We now have two bills at once that threaten SPNAs — the blow to the protected-area system is coming from two sides at the same time. Apparently, after failing to push it through four times in a row, they are now trying again under the pretext of “security” — to destroy specially protected natural areas “for safety’s sake.”

The first: No. 962708-8 “On Amendments to Article 2 of the Federal Law ‘On Specially Protected Natural Areas’.”

The second: No. 1096223-8 “On Amendments to the Federal Law ‘On Specially Protected Natural Areas’ and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation.”

Now let’s do a brief breakdown. We carefully studied all the documents provided for both bills, and we also reviewed the earlier documents from the previous three attempts to legalize the destruction of SPNAs. That makes five attempts in total — but now everything has reached the most critical level!

Bill No. 1096223-8 was introduced on December 12, 2025, and is a draft set of amendments to Federal Law No. 33-FZ “On SPNAs” and other acts. If they push it through, it will take effect as early as March 1, 2027!

This draft is no different from the four earlier versions, except that the initiator is listed as the Government of the Russian Federation, and the large-scale “development” of SPNAs is covered with a smokescreen of security. They add an entire new section to the law on changing boundaries: it would be possible to include land in SPNAs and exclude land from SPNAs (that is, “cut out pieces”), but formally — only in “exceptional cases.”

The key “Trojan horse” in this bill is the term “federal-significance facilities.” The point is that it refers to facilities of “state significance” that have a substantial impact on Russia’s socio-economic development! The definition is BROAD and implies exactly the kind of large-scale tourist clusters, resorts, ski areas, and everything else along those lines.

Let me remind you: we are talking about the “development” of SPECIALLY PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS — that is, wilderness territories of primary importance and of key value to wildlife. These are WILDLIFE REFUGES, and no one should be going in under any circumstances — because nature has no other refugia.

What’s interesting is that this bill introduces a payment that must be made by whoever places a “federal-significance facility” within an SPNA or in connection with a boundary change. At the same time, the money will be directed, among other things, to creating CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION FACILITIES “necessary for the functioning of SPNAs.” I have a lot of questions here.

The bill is written to cover multiple categories of SPNAs at once — strict nature reserves, national parks, natural parks, and wildlife sanctuaries. In other words, this is not a targeted “development,” but a systemic, nationwide one!

TO OUR ALLIES.

Recently, we lost the fight for Lake Baikal — a huge struggle that lasted several years. There, they allowed clear-cut logging, the transfer of lands from the state forest fund into other categories, and the “development” of lands that were once protected. Publicly they claim this is needed to build cemeteries for local residents — as if it were impossible to live without destroying protected areas — but at the same time they openly talk about plans to “develop” the territories to attract millions of Chinese tourists.

In parallel, the fight is underway for SPNAs across the entire country! We managed to slow down three attempts to seize the protected-area system, but now we have two active bills at once. I think it will be very difficult to influence this! An extremely hard task, honestly.

But what should we do? Silently watch as they destroy the last refuges of wildlife? Turn away and pretend nothing is happening?

Let’s try to make an impact. Not all is lost yet! We are preparing major work, multi-stage, to try to stop this madness. We will need your help! Follow the updates on social media — we must not retreat.

We are losing the last of it, Allies!

© PAVEL PASHKOV