Russia Launches ‘EcoBot’: Environmental Protection Becomes Accessible to Everyone
A new student‑built Telegram bot is helping residents report ecological violations in seconds, bringing citizen‑driven environmental protection to an entirely new level.
A Simple Tool for a Complex Problem
A new digital tool for environmental monitoring has launched in the Trans‑Baikal Territory: EcoBot, a Telegram‑based service developed by students of Transbaikal State University. The bot allows residents to quickly report illegal dumps, smoke incidents, and other ecological violations. Users simply upload a photo or video, specify an address, and add a short description.
The developers — third‑year applied informatics and mathematics students Artyom Sakharov and Dmitry Kurbangaleev — divided the work between them. Artyom created the interface, mapping system, and core service logic, while Dmitry built the server component and ensured the correct transmission of data so that reports automatically convert into structured requests for government agencies.
The project was built atop earlier prototypes, allowing the team to focus quickly on functional challenges. According to the students, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Trans‑Baikal Region set clear priorities: the system had to be practical, fast, and easy to use. Reports needed to arrive quickly, accurately, and in a consistent format.
Early Results Show Strong Impact
By integrating EcoBot with the ministry’s request‑processing platform, officials now receive reports complete with coordinates, images, and eyewitness comments — all of which accelerate response times and reduce load on traditional phone‑based channels. For residents, the process has become nearly effortless: reporting an environmental issue now takes only a few seconds.
In the first ten days after launch, the regional ministry received 62 reports through EcoBot.
The project’s key achievement lies in empowering every resident to participate directly in improving the environmental conditions of their community using a simple and accessible digital tool.
