War is what happens when language fails.

The Bellona Foundation is an international, environmental organisation. Our objective is to achieve increased ecological awareness and protection of nature, environment and health. We have worked relentlessly in Russia and Ukraine for over three decades to address and solve the grave problems of environmental pollution, nuclear safety and climate change.

Our purpose has to this day been to raise awareness, create a safer future and increase human wellbeing through open cooperation, belief in science and honest dialogue. We have seen firsthand what great progress can be made when the international community rallies around a common cause for good. Solving these issues is the very science of progress. War is the science of destruction.

Our achievements are built on cooperation with civil society, business and government. With the Russian invasion in Ukraine, we are no longer able to continue our work in the way we need to.

We will therefore halt our external activities in our Russian offices for the foreseeable future. The Bellona Foundation as a whole will continue to work on issues of nuclear safety, industrial pollution, energy efficiency, waste management and circularity, protecting the Arctic and saving our climate. And, when this war is over, we are ready to continue our work and outreach from our Russian offices as well.

This is a dark time for humanity and for the environment. Our thoughts are with all the victims of the war. As someone once said, ‘war is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace’. We urge Russia to halt their actions and open a dialogue for peace through negotiation. It is the only way we can move forward and build a real future for the people of both Ukraine and Russia.

Signed.

The Bellona Foundation