43 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
43 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
The **Khimki Forest Campaign** was a failed effort by
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[environmentalists](Environmentalism "wikilink") in
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[Russia](Russia "wikilink") to stop the deforestation of Khimki Forest
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for highway construction in
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[2010](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Eastern_Europe "wikilink").
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## Events
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Residents of Khimki discovered trees with red markings that the
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government planned to burn them down to build a new highway to connect
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Moscow and St. Petersburg.
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On 14 July 2010, officials began to log the forest. Beginning on 15 July
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2010, Yevgenia led her group, Defenders of Khimki Forest, out to the
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logging site and held a round-the-clock vigil in protest. One night
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during the protest vigil, masked men in favor of the construction of the
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highway attacked members of the Defenders of Khimki Forest. Several
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campaigners were transported to the hospital and treated. Campaigners
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engaged in property destruction, as well, when they stormed the Khimki
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Town Hall on 28 July. Wearing masks themselves, members set off petrol
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bombs, broke windows, and vandalized the building, writing messages
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opposing the deforestation in spray paint. Nobody was injured in the
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attack, and neither side engaged in such an attack again in the
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campaign.
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Several campaigners, led by Yevgenia, held rallies in downtown Khimki to
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protest the plans of deforestation. Seeking international help,
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Defenders of Khimki Forest began an online petition on change.org to
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raise awareness of the issue. Eventually, nearly 20,000 signatures were
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recorded and French company Vinci, the private company contracted to
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head the project, found themselves up against an international audience.
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Famed musician Bono of U2 announced his solidarity with the movement
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during his tour through Moscow. Defenders of Khimki Forest organized a
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separate protest concert on 22 August 2010, Russia’s Flag Day.
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Finally, on 26 August 2010, President Dmitry Medvedev announced on his
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blog site that he had halted the construction of the highway and asked
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for a period of further discussion. He noted that the large number of
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appeals to the construction influenced his decision. This announcement
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was seen as a victory for Defenders of Khimki Forest.
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However, only four short months later, construction on the highway would
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resume, to be completed by 2014. |