The Russian State Duma was asked to protect the lands of the indigenous peoples of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (KhMAO) from oil developers.
Representatives of the “Public Radar” project asked the State Duma of the Russian Federation to protect the lands of the indigenous peoples of KhMAO from oil developers.
On January 24, 2024, Surgutneftegaz offered the indigenous residents of the Surgut region of KhMAO compensation for oil extraction on their land. The company wanted to pay locals for their lost profits from the sale of berries and animal skins, which they harvest on the territory needed by Surgutneftegaz.
According to a representative of the human rights project “Public Radar,” people refused the compensation at a meeting with the company, considering it too low. In March, Surgutneftegaz began oil production.
Human rights defenders discovered that, by law, oil companies are not required to pay compensation to small indigenous peoples engaged in traditional activities. This is due to a gap in the law: the registries of the indigenous population and traditional land use territories are not synchronized.
— Usually, if families do agree [to compensation], the oil companies may occasionally purchase equipment for hunting and northern life (snowmobiles, boats, gear) for them, but this is done voluntarily, without any contracts, — said “Public Radar.”
Human rights defenders submitted their ideas for legal amendments to Oleg Mikhaylov, a State Duma deputy from the Communist Party (KPRF). They propose simultaneously entering data into both registries, prohibiting oil companies from calculating compensation for residents based on the cost of skins and berries, and suspending companies’ operations if they extract resources without consent.
On April 29, 2024, it became known about the death of Sergey Kerimov, the last defender of the lake sacred to the Khanty people. He died of cancer. The man fought against oil extraction by Surgutneftegaz near Lake Imlor. He tried to defend his encampment and was forced to relocate more than 20 times at the oil company’s request, freeing up land for them.
The activist was tried three times: in 2017, he was sentenced to community service for threatening Surgutneftegaz, and in 2022, he was given six months of restricted freedom. In December 2022, Kerimov had a conflict with the police, after which he was charged with using violence. Tuvan journalist Sayana Mongush wrote that Kerimov’s underage son was killed in a car accident by drunk oil workers.