![](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2021\/02\/23d0fd1d-2020-06-04-14.57.28-1-1024x766.jpg\" "\\"The")
\u00a9 Anonymous \/ Greenpeace<\/div>\u00a9 Anonymous \/ Greenpeace” alt=”The Ambarnaya River runs red with a layer of petrochemicals. \u00a9 Anonymous \/ Greenpeace<\/div> \u00a9 Anonymous \/ Greenpeace” alt=”The Ambarnaya River runs red with a layer of petrochemicals.Following public pressure, media attention, evidence from Greenpeace Russia \u2014 and finally a court battle with the government \u2014 the influential company responsible, Norilsk Nickel, has been ordered to pay full compensation for damage caused to the vulnerable Arctic ecosystem. <\/p>\n\n
Totalling almost 150 billion rubles (nearly 2 billion USD), it\u2019s the largest compensation for environmental damage in Russia\u2019s history<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n Despite this huge success, the human cost<\/a>, which falls disproportionately on Indigenous and ethnic minority groups in the country, is incalculable. <\/p>\n\n One year on from the Norilsk accident, Greenpeace Russia is documenting the impacts of new oil spills in the Russian Arctic and looking at steps the government is taking to avoid such disasters in future. <\/p>\n\n Immediately after the accident, Greenpeace raised the story with the prime minister Mikhail Mishustin, demanding a system-wide review of facilities storing oil or petroleum products \u2014 and more frequent inspections. Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Viktoria Abramchenko instructed the responsible bodies to check all existing oil depots. <\/p>\n\n Then the government ordered an official investigation. <\/p>\n\n In March 2021, ten months after the accident, the head of Rostekhnadzor, the Russian government’s supervisory body on ecological, technological, and nuclear issues, reported results of their safety audit to the media: <\/p>\n\n Thousands of objects at oil storage facilities have been checked and violations identified in hundreds of items are being addressed. During the audit, 3626 violations of industrial safety requirements were revealed, 219 administrative cases were initiated, and the total amount of administrative fines reached 15 million rubles.<\/p>\n\n Greenpeace Russia welcomes the risk inspection work done by Rostekhnadzor. But we believe that this is not enough. <\/strong>In a context where oil accidents happen so often, not only is regular monitoring needed, but also maximum transparency \u2014 so that people can see where the risks are and what action is being taken. <\/p>\n\n To mark the one year anniversary of the diesel disaster in Norilsk, Greenpeace has created a map<\/a> of oil storage facilities in the Russian Arctic. <\/p>\n\nWhat happened next?<\/h3>\n\n
Why it matters now<\/h3>\n\n