When explaining "why" something happened in official reports, professional correspondence, or the news, Russian uses formal compound prepositions. Two of the most common are ввиду (due to, in view of) and вследствие (as a consequence of, as a result of).
Both of these prepositions are always followed by the Genitive case.
Ввиду (Due to, In view of)
Ввиду points to an existing fact or circumstance that causes an action. It is often used to explain decisions or policies.
| Due to bad weather, we stopped the logging of the forest. | Ввиду плохой погоды мы остановили вырубку леса. |
Notice how the feminine phrase плохая погода (bad weather) becomes плохой погоды in the Genitive case.
| Due to the drought, the forestry district established a strict ban. | Ввиду засухи лесничество установило строгий запрет. |
With masculine nouns like ущерб (damage), the adjective and noun take the Genitive endings -ого and -а (огромного ущерба).
| In view of the huge damage, we support this ban. | Ввиду огромного ущерба мы поддерживаем этот запрет. |
Вследствие (As a consequence of)
Вследствие emphasizes the direct result of a specific event that has already occurred.
| As a consequence of the fire, we suffered damage and lost all the timber. | Вследствие пожара мы понесли ущерб и потеряли всю древесину. |
| As a result of the hurricane, the local forestry district lost all the equipment. | Вследствие урагана местное лесничество потеряло всё оборудование. |
It pairs seamlessly with nouns like нехватка (shortage) to explain broader consequences, such as market changes:
| As a result of the timber shortage, lumber became more expensive. | Вследствие нехватки древесины пиломатериалы стали дороже. |