Table 3 The new state of play

We are in mid-July 2022. HELIOS and Russia are proceeding as planned. First animals have grown, and transport is being arranged. The schedule plans for setting free a group of eight animals in mid-September. Reacting to concerns about the mammoths leaving the island, the responsible company HELIOS has issued a statement confirming that the animals will be carrying GPS senders to ensure that they can be tracked in the unlikely event of a complete freezing of the sea between Kolguyev and the mainland

Meanwhile, the EC has set up a working group with representatives of various European governments, among them Finland, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Romania. In a joint statement, spokespersons of Finland and Norway expressed the expectation that “a more constant, direct way of communication” would make it “easier to coordinate opinions.” Representatives of environmental CSOs are also expected to participate. The first meeting of the working group is scheduled to take place next week (real time 21 Jan 22)

In parallel, the EC has also launched an internal working group to re-assess the current genome editing legislation. César Luena López, vice-chair of the social democrat Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, commented that in revising the regulations, the safety of consumers and the environment would be the guiding principles. He added: “Now is the moment to have an open dialogue with citizens, Member States and the European Parliament to jointly decide the way forward for the use of these technologies in the EU.”

The protection of the wildlife on Kolguyev is also an important issue for Russia, as a recent statement by government officials emphasized, and they will make sure that all companies doing business in this area follow high standards in this regard

Meanwhile, protests against the project intensify. What was at first a movement apparently focused on social media, as covered by recent media news, with several memes and short video clips going globally viral, has meanwhile grown into a strategic coalition of various actors. Activities of protest are organized both on Kolguyev Island as well as in cities around the world. Relating to the Fridays for Future movement, animal rights activists proclaimed the “Mondays for Mammoths” and used their international connections to organize protest marches in several major cities around the globe, among them in Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Oslo, and St Petersburg. According to the organizers, these protests should raise awareness of the animal risks caused by the planned resurrection of mammoths. Polls carried out in several European countries show a large public support for these protests, with percentages ranging from 59 to 71%

On the island itself, a small group of citizens moved into a protest camp. In their view, by endangering local oil production, the project is putting their existence on the island at risk. Images from the camp go around the world, as a highly functional website had quickly been established which includes a live-stream from the camp.