Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt Are Missing from the Bonn Talks Again

COP17, the UN biodiversity conference in Yerevan, has just concluded. Yet the question of whose voices are heard in international environmental negotiations remains urgent. Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt remain detained in Russia, unable to take part in the processes they spent years helping Indigenous Peoples access.

As attention turns to COP31, we revisit an example of international solidarity from June. On 9 June 2026, the Nigerian environmental outlet EnviroNews Nigeria reported on their absence from the UN climate talks in Bonn, bringing their story to readers far beyond Russia.

Daria Egereva, a Selkup, an Indigenous activist and climate defender, has been awaiting trial in a Russian pre-trial detention center since December 17, 2025. On that day, the outlet notes, a large-scale, coordinated wave of repressive actions hit Indigenous Peoples and their human rights defenders. Daria was detained shortly after returning from the UN climate talks in Belém, Brazil.

Natalia Leongardt, an experienced Russian human rights defender, was detained along with her. Both face the same charge: participation in the activities of a terrorist organization under Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code.

The most notable event in this story took place in Bonn on June 9. The International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) decided to retain Daria as third co-chair until her unconditional release. The Forum called the decision historic and powerful. Daria has worked in international forums, including the UN and global climate negotiations, representing Indigenous communities affected by climate and environmental policies. Now her seat at the Forum remains hers.

The case has also drawn attention at the UN. On June 6, ten UN special procedures sent communications to the Russian government about the case of Egereva and Leongardt.

So at the climate talks in Bonn, where the future of the planet is discussed, there are people missing who worked to make sure Indigenous Peoples are heard. The case of Egereva and Leongardt is now being written about in Nigeria as well: the issue, which has prompted UN communications to the Russian government, is heard far beyond Russia.