Kremlin Party Seeks to Stop Disputed Road Project

VOA News
August 26, 2010 at 9:10 am

Russia’s ruling party has asked President Dmitri Medvedev to order a freeze on construction of a disputed highway that has become a rallying cause for the opposition.

Construction of the toll road linking Moscow and St. Petersburg, which critics say threatens the ecology of a popular forest outside Moscow, has come under criticism from environmentalists and human rights activists.

Thursday, the pro-Kremlin United Russia Party cited the differences of opinion and called for a route change. The appeal comes just days after a mass protest fronted by a popular Russian rock musician.

Several thousand people turned out Sunday for an unauthorized concert headlined by Soviet-era rock star-turned-Kremlin critic Yuri Shevchuk. Some two dozen people, including three prominent human rights activists, were arrested as police blocked organizers from setting up sound equipment.

Last month, hundreds of protesters staged a rare and violent protest against the planned roadway through the Khimki forest. Protesters threw rocks, bottles and smoke bombs at the town hall in Khimki, and then dispersed before police could make arrests. Some information in this story was provided by AFP and Reuters.