A picket against cutting down trees by Atomstroycomplex Corporation will be held in Yekaterinburg, Chair of Sverdlovsk Region division of Yabloko’s Green Russia faction Natalya Manzurova told UrBC.

The picket is to take place next to the residence of Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District tomorrow.

‘We hope to assert our constitutional right to the good environment. In 2010, some federal land estates were handed over to Sverdlovsk Region Ministry for Public Property Management; the ministry then organized a tender that Atomstroycomplex won without any sign of transparency whatsoever. The story became widely known and backfired: the land allotment was provided, but no permission to cut down trees was given along. This did not stop the developers, however: they started cutting down trees and drilling the soil without bothering to wait for a permission to do so. There is one small patch of forest for the locals in the midst of the surrounding stone jungle, and people are absolutely against it being destroyed,’ Manzurova explained.