Moscow hosts picket in defence of Black Sea shore

On February 7, the action against the pollution of the Black Sea, the Black Sea shore and the natural reserve "Utrish" in the Krasnodar Territory was held in Moscow, near the building of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation.

The time and the place had been agreed with the local authorities. The action was attended by about 30 persons. Among them the activists of the "Yabloko" Party, the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", the Sochi Branch of the Russian Geographic Society, and the movements "Let's save Utrish!" and "Open Coast".

In their hands the protesters were holding posters reading: "Let's save Utrish", "Natural reserve is not place for palaces," "Tricksters and thieves! Out of Utrish", "Who ordered natural reserves?", "Olimpstroi destroys Sochi", "Stop destroying Sochi", "Trutnev, resign!" (Yuri Trutnev is the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, - note of the "Caucasian Knot"), "Stop building in nature reserves!"

Olga Noskovets, the organizer of the picket, Chairperson of the Sochi Branch of the "Yabloko" Party, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory "have turned into industrial zones, and fish and other animals are dying out."

The participants of the action accuse the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the pollution. In particular, they are not satisfied with the amendment to the Law "On Free Economic Areas", introduced to the State Duma and lobbied by the Ministry. According to Olga Noskovets, the amendment makes "possible the construction of sports facilities, earlier permitted only in the territory of Sochi," in the park areas.

The picket, which started at 1:00 p.m., lasted about an hour. Upon completion of the action, its participants went to the metro station "Barrikadnaya" and to Krasnaya Presnya Street, where they began to hand out leaflets reading: "Nature of the Black Sea shore is in danger."