The year of 2022 marked the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which two years on has resulted in widespread displacement and loss of life. Violence erupted across different continents as energy and infrastructure projects advanced in India and Uganda, threatening communities and the health of the environment. In Tanzania, a high-profile game reserve threatened to evict the Massai. In Palestine, flare-ups in 2022 hinted at a long-standing conflict approaching a boiling point, while in Colombia and Guatemala, enduring patterns of violence against Indigenous land and environmental defenders continued, making them among the most violent countries for defenders worldwide. Land, territory and natural resources continued to occupy a central role in ongoing and unfolding conflicts, as Indigenous, land and environmental defenders (ILEDs) and their communities were caught in the crosshairs, often clinging to their ancestral lands, livelihoods and means of existence. In 2022, Global Witness documented the death of 177 land and environmental defenders across 18 countries, numbers that mark another somber drumbeat in a decades-long pattern of violence. The killing of these defenders is a stark reminder of the high stakes faced by the individuals and communities on the frontlines of climate and biodiversity crises. They provide, however, only a partial picture. Violence against ILEDs is significantly underreported for a number of reasons, among them the political pressure that defenders might face when denouncing a powerful business or state authorities, who may be directly or indirectly involved in the violence. Often, violence against these defenders and their communities take place in rural areas, far from media attention and in areas with weak rule of law. As levels of impunity in cases of violence against ILEDs remains high, there is also a fear of retaliation or threats of violence that may lead to self-censorship or reluctance to report. In countries and regions where few attacks are documented, it does not mean that violence against ILEDs is nonexistent but rather that it is not being captured or is not accessible. The true extent of the violence is likely much greater than the data implies while in Colombia and Guatemala, enduring patterns of violence against Indigenous, land and environmental defenders continued, ranking them among the most violent countries for defenders year after year.