This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Russian authorities have detained an Indigenous climate advocate, accusing her of participating in a terrorist organization in what international observers are calling “retribution” for her United Nations advocacy on behalf of Indigenous peoples.  Daria Egereva, an Indigenous Selkup woman from the city of Tomsk in western Siberia, has been involved in international advocacy at the United Nations for several years and has been a co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change since 2023—an official forum that facilitates the participation of Indigenous peoples in UN meetings and gatherings, including the annual Conference of the Parties climate change conventions. During COP30 in Brazil, Egereva advocated for the inclusion of Indigenous women in climate negotiations. “If we don’t protect women, we don’t have a future,” she said in a video published on social media on November 21.  In addition to her work at COP, Egereva advocated for better inclusion of Indigenous peoples at the United Nations and researched the effects of the green transition on Indigenous communities. “The transition to a green economy without an appropriate framework or with disregard for the rights of Indigenous peoples will continue to result in historical injustices, marginalization, discrimination, and dispossession of their lands and resources,” she wrote in a 2024 report that criticized the lack of inclusion of Indigenous peoples in the green transition. According to the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, on December 17, Russian authorities searched Egereva’s home, confiscated her digital devices, and arrested her, in what the organization called “a direct retaliation for her Indigenous rights advocacy,” which included her work at COP30.  “These reprisals are part of a broader pattern of repression affecting Indigenous peoples across the globe, and are an unacceptable attack on the right of Indigenous peoples to engage in the global human rights and climate change processes,” said Sineia Do Vale, who is Wapichana from Brazil and co-chairs the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change along with Egereva. > “I believe I am being persecuted for my activism.” A 2023 UN report concluded that advocates from multiple countries have been discouraged from participating in UN processes because of fear of reprisals. In 2024, the Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported an increase in the number of cases of reprisals, but did not publish specific numbers. More than 2,000 environmental and land defenders were killed or disappeared for their work between 2012 and 2024, nearly a third of them Indigenous, according to Global Witness.  In October, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution criticizing the Russian Federation’s designation of 55 Indigenous organizations and other groups as “extremist organizations,” and calling on the country to abide by international human rights law.  Luda Kinok, a Yupik woman from Russia who spoke to Grist as a friend of Egereva’s, said that Egereva is expected to be detained until her next court hearing on February 17, after which she could be sentenced to as long as 20 years in prison.  Kinok said Egereva was targeted in part because of her affiliation with the Aborigen Forum network, a group of Indigenous advocates that was designated as an “extremist” organization by the Russian Federation in July 2024. The forum advocated for the protection of Indigenous peoples’ rights as countries sought to develop the Arctic. Egereva was also a member of the Centre for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North, which Russian authorities shut down in 2019. Valentina Vyacheslavovna Sovkina, a Saami advocate based in Russia and one of 16 members of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, said through an interpreter that she was also subjected to a search by Russian authorities the same week that Egereva was arrested.  “During the search, they seized technical equipment and searched the premises, folders, books, and boxes for four hours. They compiled a report without leaving a copy and without allowing me to call a lawyer,” she said. “I believe I am being persecuted for my activism and my steadfast commitment to protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples.”  Egereva’s arrest has been decried by several Indigenous international organizations, including Cultural Survival, the SIRGE Coalition, and the International Indian Treaty Council. The IITC called the situation “a grave case of intimidation and reprisal against an Indigenous leader in direct connection with her participation in the UNFCCC process,” referring to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Basmanny District Court of Russia and the United Nations did not respond to messages seeking comment on Egereva’s case.

On Sunday night, CBS’s “60 Minutes” aired an interview featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who once again deplored the fact that US officials have been promoting Russian disinformation about the war between the two countries. By Monday morning, President Donald Trump proved his point once more. Through a translator, Zelenskyy told 60 Minutes Correspondent Scott Pelley: “I believe, sadly, (that) Russian narratives are prevailing in the US.” “How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war?” he continued. “This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia’s information policy on America, on US politics and US politicians.” Referring to Trump’s claim that Zelenskyy is a “dictator” and the now-infamous February sit-down in the Oval Office, during which Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy and demanded he thank the United States for its support, Zelenskyy told Pelley through a translator: “It’s a shift in tone, a shift in reality..and I don’t want to engage in the altered reality that is being presented to me. First and foremost, we did not launch an attack [to start the war]. It seems to me that the Vice President is somehow justifying Putin’s actions.” > “How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand > what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the > aggressors?” asks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.   WATCH ⏱️ > youtu.be/odFTqgm0984?… > > [image or embed] > > — 60 Minutes (@60minutes.bsky.social) April 14, 2025 at 12:40 PM The comments appeared to trigger Trump, who took to his Truth Social platform on Sunday night to lambast CBS for airing the interview. “They did not one, but TWO, major stories on ‘TRUMP,’ one having to do with Ukraine, which I say is a War that would never have happened if the 2020 Election had not been RIGGED, in other words, if I were President and, the other story was having to do with Greenland, casting our Country, as led by me, falsely, inaccurately, and fraudulently,” Trump wrote. “I am so honored to be suing 60 Minutes, CBS Fake News, and Paramount, over their fraudulent, beyond recognition, reporting.” (Trump is, indeed, suing the network and television show, alleging they deceptively edited an interview with former Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to make her look better; CBS has said the lawsuit is “without merit.”) Trump went on to argue that CBS “should lose their license” and urged his Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Brendan Carr, to “impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior.” “CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this,” Trump concluded. But for all his bluster, Trump managed to prove Zelenskyy’s point less than 24 hours after the CBS interview aired. In another early morning meltdown on Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the war is “Biden’s war, not mine,” adding, “President Zelenskyy and Crooked Joe Biden did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this travesty to begin.” Still, the facts remain: It was Russian President Vladimir Putin who invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Russian forces have committed war crimes and likely crimes against humanity, according to Amnesty International. One of those alleged crimes includes kidnapping and deporting Ukrainian children to Russia, for which the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for both Putin and another Russian official in March 2023. Russia’s aggression has continued, with Ukrainian civilians among the victims. Earlier this month, Russia launched a missile at a site near a Ukrainian playground, killing 19 people, including nine children. On Sunday, two Russian missiles reportedly hit the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing  35 people and wounding 117 more, according to Ukrainian officials. Trump called that attack “terrible,” “a mistake,” and “a horrible thing” on Air Force One on Sunday, according to the White House Pool Report. But by Monday, during remarks in the Oval Office alongside President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Trump had reverted to his pro-Russia talking points, repeating the false claim that Ukraine started the war with Russia. “He’s always looking to purchase missiles,” Trump said of Zelenskyy. “Listen, when you start a war, you gotta know you can win the war. You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.” > Trump has fully turned on Zelenskyy: "He's always looking to purchase > missiles. Listen, when you start a war, you gotta know you can win a war. You > don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size and then hope > that people give you some missiles." > > [image or embed] > > — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 14, 2025 at 11:56 AM At another point during that meeting, Trump insulted Zelenskyy’s intelligence, stating, “The mistake was letting the war happen. If Biden were competent and if Zelensky were competent—and I don’t know that he is. We had a rough session with this guy over here,” Trump said, referring to the February Oval Office blowup. “He just kept asking for more and more.” Trump also propped up Putin while also doubling down on the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen. “I went four years and Putin wouldn’t even bring it up. And as soon as the election was rigged, and I wasn’t here, that war started, there was no way that war should have been allowed to happen, and Biden should have stopped it,” he said. “And and you take a look at Putin. I’m not saying anybody’s an angel, but I will tell you I went four years and it wasn’t even a question. I told him, ‘don’t do it, you’re not going to do it.'” > Reporter: You mentioned last night that Russia's attack on Ukraine was a > mistake— what is the is mistake? > > Trump: The mistake was letting the war happen. If Biden were competent, and if > Zelenskyy were competent— I don’t know that he is. pic.twitter.com/yhoHWWpiuQ > > — Acyn (@Acyn) April 14, 2025 Let’s not forget, though, that for all of Trump’s claims that the war is not his problem, he promised he would end it within 24 hours if he was reelected. More than—checks notes—2,000 hours later, and the war is still raging while Trump spreads disinformation about who really started it.