Khimki Forest
Encyclopedia
Khimki Forest is a birch tree forest in the Russian city of Moscow
covering about 1000 hectares. It is part of the so-called "Green Belt" around Moscow. An $8 billion dollar high speed road has been proposed to go through the forest to connect Moscow and Saint Petersburg
. For this purpose, part of the forest would have been cut down. The construction triggered large protests, which turned violent in July, 2010. On 26 August, President Dmitry Medvedev
ordered the construction to be halted.
has been proposed to go through the forest. The roadway would connect Moscow and Saint Petersburg
.
The proposed road has attracted local and international opposition due to deforestation
and other environmental issues. The forest's fauna includes foxes, elk, wild boars and a number of species of insects and plants considered endangered.
Logging in the forest started on 14 July 2010, and activists immediately clashed with the construction workers. The activists included local people and a group called "Ecological Defense of the Moscow Region", along with Greenpeace Russia, and the "Left Front" civil movement. On 15 July 2010, environmentalists started to maintain a round-the-clock vigil to prevent the trees from being cut down. On July 28, 2010, dozens of anarchists and antifascists stormed government offices in Khimki
. Windows were broken and the assailants left a graffiti with the text "Save the Russian Forest." On 22 August, 2,000 activists attended a concert that was held to protest the construction. On 22 August, two opposition leaders and a human rights activist who were participating in rallies marking the National Flag Day of Russia were detained. They claimed that they were detained "to prevent the action in defense of the Khimki Forest."
Russia's Supreme Court has ruled that the construction of the highway is not illegal. The activists' Khimki Forest Defense movement has filed a suit with the European Court of Human Rights
in Strasbourg
.
In August, the country's largest political party, United Russia
asked the President to stop the construction. Reuters
analysts speculated the move was an attempt by the party to "pre-empt wider protest actions" which could have lowered the high popularity enjoyed by the Kremlin and the party.
In late August, rock star Bono
of the group U2
, while his band was on tour in Russia, took a high-profile stand against the highway construction. Asking Russian rock star Yuri Shevchuk
, an outspoken critic of the highway's planned route, who had made headlines confronting Vladimir Putin
in a face-to-face meeting in May, to join him on stage at a concert, Bono and Shevchuk sang a Bob Dylan
tune in front of 60,000 people. Bono said in an interview that he regretted not raising the issue in his own meeting with the president.
from Khimkinskaya Pravda and Oleg Kashin
from Kommersant
- have been beaten up in what are thought to be attacks linked to their coverage of the protests.
ordered the construction of the highway to be halted, and asked for a period of further discussion.
One of the activists who had fought to protect the forest hailed the President's decision as "victory" for the activists. City district prefect and former environmental official Oleg Mitvol
has stated that the motorway could be built through another area in the north of the capital. When he presented his idea to Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, the mayor supported it. Aleksey Knizhnikov of the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) believes that if the logging was stopped right now, the forest would recover in a decade.
The Movement to Defend Khimki Forest together with the Bankwatch CEE and through the UN Global Compact
has written several letters to the executive board of Vinci, indicating environmental damage to the forest and human rights abuses, connected with the project. Vinci was asked to start discussion about changing the route and to intervene with the Russian authorities, but it refused to cooperate, claiming that it had no power to change the route, chosen by the Russian authorities, and denying any connection between the violence and the project.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
covering about 1000 hectares. It is part of the so-called "Green Belt" around Moscow. An $8 billion dollar high speed road has been proposed to go through the forest to connect Moscow and Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. For this purpose, part of the forest would have been cut down. The construction triggered large protests, which turned violent in July, 2010. On 26 August, President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
ordered the construction to be halted.
History of opposition
An $8 billion dollar high speed roadMoscow – Saint Petersburg motorway
The Moscow – Saint Petersburg motorway is a planned toll road between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The first section of the motorway is to be finished in 2013. The road will run parallel to the M10 highway. Its construction has been met with strong protest from environmentalist groups and...
has been proposed to go through the forest. The roadway would connect Moscow and Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
The proposed road has attracted local and international opposition due to deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
and other environmental issues. The forest's fauna includes foxes, elk, wild boars and a number of species of insects and plants considered endangered.
Logging in the forest started on 14 July 2010, and activists immediately clashed with the construction workers. The activists included local people and a group called "Ecological Defense of the Moscow Region", along with Greenpeace Russia, and the "Left Front" civil movement. On 15 July 2010, environmentalists started to maintain a round-the-clock vigil to prevent the trees from being cut down. On July 28, 2010, dozens of anarchists and antifascists stormed government offices in Khimki
Khimki
Khimki is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated just northwest of Moscow, at the west bank of the Moscow Canal. Population: 207,125 ; 141,000 ; 106,000 ; 23,000 .-History:...
. Windows were broken and the assailants left a graffiti with the text "Save the Russian Forest." On 22 August, 2,000 activists attended a concert that was held to protest the construction. On 22 August, two opposition leaders and a human rights activist who were participating in rallies marking the National Flag Day of Russia were detained. They claimed that they were detained "to prevent the action in defense of the Khimki Forest."
Russia's Supreme Court has ruled that the construction of the highway is not illegal. The activists' Khimki Forest Defense movement has filed a suit with the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
.
In August, the country's largest political party, United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
asked the President to stop the construction. Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
analysts speculated the move was an attempt by the party to "pre-empt wider protest actions" which could have lowered the high popularity enjoyed by the Kremlin and the party.
In late August, rock star Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
of the group U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, while his band was on tour in Russia, took a high-profile stand against the highway construction. Asking Russian rock star Yuri Shevchuk
Yuri Shevchuk
Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk , born 16 May 1957, is a Soviet and Russian singer/songwriter who leads the rock band DDT, which he founded with Vladimir Sigachev in 1980. Shevchuk was born in Yagodnoye in Magadan Oblast and raised in Ufa, Bashkir ASSR, though he now resides in St. Petersburg, Russia....
, an outspoken critic of the highway's planned route, who had made headlines confronting Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
in a face-to-face meeting in May, to join him on stage at a concert, Bono and Shevchuk sang a Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
tune in front of 60,000 people. Bono said in an interview that he regretted not raising the issue in his own meeting with the president.
Attacks
Various protesters and journalists have been attacked and intimidated by both the police and unknown assailants. Three journalists - Anatoliy Adamchuk from Zhukovskiye Vesti, Mikhail BeketovMikhail Beketov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Beketov is a Russian journalist who came to widespread attention when he was attacked in an assault thought to be connected with his coverage of the construction of the Moscow – Saint Petersburg motorway.-Career:Beketov graduated from Moscow State University and worked on the...
from Khimkinskaya Pravda and Oleg Kashin
Oleg Kashin
Oleg Kashin is a former seaman and a prominent Russian journalist.-Career:Kashin graduated from the Baltic State Fishing Fleet Academy with a degree in sea navigation in 2001. While studying, he wrote for Komsomolskaya Pravda in Kaliningrad where he expressed rather sharp views...
from Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
- have been beaten up in what are thought to be attacks linked to their coverage of the protests.
President Medvedev suspends the project
On 26 August 2010, President Dmitry MedvedevDmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
ordered the construction of the highway to be halted, and asked for a period of further discussion.
- "Taking into account the amount of appeals [against the construction], I have made a decision...to suspend the implementation of the decree on the construction of the toll highway and to hold additional public and expert discussions."
One of the activists who had fought to protect the forest hailed the President's decision as "victory" for the activists. City district prefect and former environmental official Oleg Mitvol
Oleg Mitvol
Oleg Lvovich Mitvol is a Russian environmentalist, businessman and government official, well-known for his activity in the chair of environmental protection department.-Business career:...
has stated that the motorway could be built through another area in the north of the capital. When he presented his idea to Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, the mayor supported it. Aleksey Knizhnikov of the World Wide Fund for Nature
World 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...
(WWF) believes that if the logging was stopped right now, the forest would recover in a decade.
The role of the French multinational Vinci S.A.
The French multinational Vinci jointly with some individuals from Lebanon and Syria owns 50% of the North-West Concession Company, the concessionaire of the project. Soon after the President of Russia Mr. Medvedev put a halt on construction under pressure of the civil protests in August, 2010, Mr. Emanuel Quidet of the French Chamber of Commerce in Russia intervened, asking Mr. Medvedev to resume works as soon as possible. During the discussion, representatives of Vinci threatened Russian Government with 4 billion rubles (about 100 million euro) of compensations in case of a longer delay for the change of the routing.The Movement to Defend Khimki Forest together with the Bankwatch CEE and through the UN Global Compact
UN Global Compact
The United Nations Global Compact, also known as Compact or UNGC, is a United Nations initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation...
has written several letters to the executive board of Vinci, indicating environmental damage to the forest and human rights abuses, connected with the project. Vinci was asked to start discussion about changing the route and to intervene with the Russian authorities, but it refused to cooperate, claiming that it had no power to change the route, chosen by the Russian authorities, and denying any connection between the violence and the project.
External links
- Map of Khimki Forest
- Save Khimki Forest, international website
- Defence of the Khimki Forest, a Facebook group
- Khimki Forest on twitter