As Introduction to this section devoted to the problem of invasions we should like to present an extraction from the Proceedings of the round table within All-Russia Conference on ecological safety (4-5 of June, 2002) (ed. S.S. Izhevskii, Moscow, 2002), published at the Russian portal on invasive alien species, maintained by  the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution:

The problem of biological invasions is actual to Russia The are fixed a number of ecological disasters caused by biological invasions is growing now. Examples are:  амброзия weeds, colorado bug, golden нематода, фомопсис sunflower, гребневик мнемиопсис, рачек церкопагис, a fish ротан, western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera), which has already occupied 13 European countries for 10 years including even the Ukraine, and dangerous North American species of insects-pests of greenhouse and decorative plants etc. as well as many alien plants and phytopathogenic fungi. 

"... New ways of invasions of dangerous aliens are constantly arising. They are brought to Russia in threatening amounts with imported agricultural and flower products, decorative shrubs and trees, and ballast waters. Inefficient sanitary control of imported plants and animals transferred across the state borders promotes further widening of invasion flows. Some of the imported products contain the invasive species in the hidden form. Moreover the specific situation in Russia is further complicated by large isolated territories with potential invasive species which are capable to disperse outside. Cases of concealing the information on the transfer and establishment of alien harmful organisms, including quarantine species, in the certain regions and greenhouses are becoming more and more common.

The Plant Quarantine Service of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation in its modern state is not able to cope with invasions of alien herbivorous organisms into Russia and needs a serious reformation. The phytosanitary legislation (in particular, the Plant Quarantine Law) often contradicts with other national legislative acts (e.g. The Natural Environment Law) and the international legislative provisions signed by Russia. Besides, there is no united organization which could combine efforts of all interested institutions dealing with the invasion problem.

The problem of the invasion of alien species in the Russian Federation is under the observation of a great number of various official departments (Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Nature Resources, State Committee for Fisheries of the Russian Federation), research and development organizations (A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution Russian Academy of Sciences, Zoological Institute Russian Academy of Sciences, Komarov Botanical Institute Russian Academy of Sciences, Papanin Institute of Biology of Inland Waters Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology Russian Academy of Sciences, Murmansk Marine Biological Institute Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanograpfy, Research Institute of the Azov sea Fishery, The Main Botanical Garden Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Institute for Plant Quarantine, Russian Institute of Phytopatology etc.), which are trying to solve only narrow specific aspects of the global problem, often involving only one group of organisms (fishes, mammals, insects, phytopathogenic microorganisms, nematodes, plants, etc.)..."

Additionally to the Portal of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution "Alien species at the territory of Russia" this section will integrate information on the problem of invasions in Russia and how it is being solved.