Altaigate Scandal
Encyclopedia
The Altaigate Scandal is the name given to the events surrounding the 9 January 2009 disappearance of an Mi-171 helicopter
in the south of the Altai Republic
. The helicopter contained several VIP
passengers. The helicopter was found as a result of large-scale rescue operations on 11 January 2009. It was discovered on the Sailughem mountain ridge 8 kilometers from the border between Russia
and Mongolia
. Seven people were killed, 2 severely injured and 2 slightly injured. Among those dead were the Representative of the Russian President to the State Duma
Mr. Alexander Kosopkin, the Head of the Altai Republic Game Management Agency Mr. Kaimin, other VIPs, two pilots and one locally famous musician. Among the survivors were Deputy Governor of the Altai Republic Mr. Anatoly Bannykh, the second pilot and two VIPs, the latter heavily injured Full list of the crashed Mi-171 passengers and technical details of the crash (so far in Russian).
straight from the helicopter. This type of hunting is forbidden by law Criminal Code of Russia Article 258. They claimed that the game being hunted would have been protected animals listed in the Red Data Book species of Russia which is legally binding full protection species fact sheet in Russian , and also in the IUCN Red List
There have been calls to the President of Russia and the State Chief Prosecutor
to launch an investigation into this alleged case of poaching
and corruption, which led to the fatal helicopter crash http://www.altapress.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=41. So far the prosecutors have investigated only the technical reasons of the helicopter crash despite immediate appeals from Russian conservationists and public. Finally only on 21 April the criminal investigation on poaching started as well legal notice of the Main Investigations Committee of the Chief State Prosecutor Office.
Altaigate Scandal development day-by-day was described by the local Altapress Agency in Russian and will soon be re-posted in the amended version here.
Russia and Greenpeace
collected over 6000 verified signatures from the Russian public http://www.wwf.ru/resources/news/article/4583 as part of a petition
demanding criminal investigation on poaching and corruption. Despite the legal obligation that criminal investigation on reported case should be started within three days since the written note there has been no public information or official announcements.
Russia:
“Over the last decade, Altai has become a place where helicopter hunting has become rather common. They shoot directly from the helicopter and then land to pick up any trophies. We don’t want anyone to be imprisoned. The main aim of our actions is to make a court give an official legal assessment of what happened. Regional officials often treat federal officials to free hunting trips. It’s not a bribe, it’s to make good relations, to get additional money to the region from the federal center.”
Source: http://inventorspot.com/articles/helicopter_hunting_dangerous_and_cruel_innovative_russian_pastim_22899
Sergey Mironov
, speaker of the Russian State Duma in his blog:
"I still believe that investigation has to consider all (I stress - all!) the circumstances of this case and make full legal assessment. This case indeed raises many questions..." Source in Russian: citation from the blog of Mr. Mironov
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
in the south of the Altai Republic
Altai Republic
Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:...
. The helicopter contained several VIP
VIP
VIP and V.I.P. is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:-In general:* Vacuum insulated panel* Values, Influence, and Peers, an anti-crime campaign in Ontario elementary schools* Variable Information Printing, a form of on-demand printing...
passengers. The helicopter was found as a result of large-scale rescue operations on 11 January 2009. It was discovered on the Sailughem mountain ridge 8 kilometers from the border between Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. Seven people were killed, 2 severely injured and 2 slightly injured. Among those dead were the Representative of the Russian President to the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
Mr. Alexander Kosopkin, the Head of the Altai Republic Game Management Agency Mr. Kaimin, other VIPs, two pilots and one locally famous musician. Among the survivors were Deputy Governor of the Altai Republic Mr. Anatoly Bannykh, the second pilot and two VIPs, the latter heavily injured Full list of the crashed Mi-171 passengers and technical details of the crash (so far in Russian).
Game hunting allegation
When the first photos were published from the crash site, some conservationists claimed that the Mi-171 helicopter crashed as a result of illegal game huntingHunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
straight from the helicopter. This type of hunting is forbidden by law Criminal Code of Russia Article 258. They claimed that the game being hunted would have been protected animals listed in the Red Data Book species of Russia which is legally binding full protection species fact sheet in Russian , and also in the IUCN Red List
There have been calls to the President of Russia and the State Chief Prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
to launch an investigation into this alleged case of poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
and corruption, which led to the fatal helicopter crash http://www.altapress.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=41. So far the prosecutors have investigated only the technical reasons of the helicopter crash despite immediate appeals from Russian conservationists and public. Finally only on 21 April the criminal investigation on poaching started as well legal notice of the Main Investigations Committee of the Chief State Prosecutor Office.
Altaigate Scandal development day-by-day was described by the local Altapress Agency in Russian and will soon be re-posted in the amended version here.
Open letter
Representatives of 23 NGOs from the Altai Republic wrote a joint open letter to the President of Russia, the Chief Prosecutor, to the Head of State Duma and a number of other organisations in which they made demands regarding an investigation into poaching and possible top-level corruption, and also demanding that investigation findings be shared with the public.Petition
WWFWorld Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
Russia and Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
collected over 6000 verified signatures from the Russian public http://www.wwf.ru/resources/news/article/4583 as part of a petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
demanding criminal investigation on poaching and corruption. Despite the legal obligation that criminal investigation on reported case should be started within three days since the written note there has been no public information or official announcements.
Altaigate Development Day-by-Day
- 21 January 2010 / Article in English by Vladimir Ryzhkov - Poaching the Law - in The Moscow Times. Recent update on the still continued scandal.
- 29 July 2009 Russian Ministry of Justice suggested to remove poaching from Criminal to Administrative law violations - meaning that whoever is convicted as a poacher will not have any crime record filed. This has still to be adopted by the State Duma
- 17-24 July 2009 - rapid adoption by the Duma and the President of the New Federal Law on Game-Hunting text at the President of Russia portal in Russian; many NGOs and even hunters call this law "barbarian" http://www.ikd.ru/node/10434 and the main disagreement is that there will be now a legal provision for VIP officials to have private hunting grounds in the long-term rent which, as expected, will seriously suppress the rights of the local subsistence hunters.
- 12 June 2009 - MAC International Aviation Committee published full report on the crash investigation full text 56 pages in Russian in pdf that indeed confirms that shooting from the helicopter at low altitudes was the main reason of the crash.
- to be updated backwards
Who says what on Altaigate
Alexei Vaisman from WWFWorld Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
Russia:
“Over the last decade, Altai has become a place where helicopter hunting has become rather common. They shoot directly from the helicopter and then land to pick up any trophies. We don’t want anyone to be imprisoned. The main aim of our actions is to make a court give an official legal assessment of what happened. Regional officials often treat federal officials to free hunting trips. It’s not a bribe, it’s to make good relations, to get additional money to the region from the federal center.”
Source: http://inventorspot.com/articles/helicopter_hunting_dangerous_and_cruel_innovative_russian_pastim_22899
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov , is a former chairman of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament and a leading figure in the A Just Russia party.- Biography :...
, speaker of the Russian State Duma in his blog:
"I still believe that investigation has to consider all (I stress - all!) the circumstances of this case and make full legal assessment. This case indeed raises many questions..." Source in Russian: citation from the blog of Mr. Mironov
Key References in Russian
- Altapress Media Agency: Altaigate summary
- Altapress Media Agency news
- Article in Wikipedia on mostly technical crash details and solely crash investigation
- Chronicles on Altaigate in Russian in one of the popular Russian blogs
- Larger part of "Postscriptum" programme on the Russian TVC channel on Altaigate