November 12, 2014. Voronezh Leninsky Court imposed a 1,000-ruble fine on two eco-activists, Andrei Tarakanov and Alexander Boldyrev, who took part in protests against Ural Mining & Metallurgical Company’s plans to produce nickel in Voronezh Region, the protest movement’s (aka In protection of the Khoper) website states.

The protest picket, dubbed ‘In memoriam Russian Chernozem’, unfolded on August 13, 2014 next to Voronezh Region Government premises. The picketers placed some ears of wheat bundled together with black mourning ribbons onto the steps of the buildings.

‘When asked to explain, the eco-activists pointed out that nickel production in an agricultural area in the vicinity of state-run Khopersky nature’s preserve would mean exporting non-ferrous metals to the benefit of offshore companies and was against Russia’s interests. They also said theirs were one-man pickets, which was perfectly legal,’ the website says.

Two more protesters, Sergey Biryukov and Boris Suprenku, were fined by the court earlier.

Now UMMC and the local environmentalists and Cossacks clashed in 2013 when the company’s geologists were attacked in February; following a protest march on June 22, the geologists’ settlement was destroyed, their drilling rigs burned down, and their equipment damaged. On October 31, the local Cossacks and UMMC agreed to cooperate, that is, to set up a joint board of experts and to enforce environmental surveillance measures.