Russian President Suspends Controversial Road Project

VOA News
August 26, 2010 at 1:25 pm

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has ordered the government to suspend a controversial road project near Moscow that has drawn criticism from environmentalists and opposition leaders.

The order suspending road construction through a popular forest outside the capital was posted on the presidential website Thursday. The construction ban is to remain in effect until a public hearing is held on the Moscow-to-St. Petersburg highway.

Mr. Medvedev’s order came hours after the country’s dominant United Russia Party urged the president to halt the project, which critics say threatens the ecology of the Khimki forest. The suspension also comes just days after a mass protest fronted by a popular Russian rock musician.

Several thousand people turned out Sunday for an unauthorized protest concert headlined by Soviet-era rock star-turned-Kremlin critic Yuri Shevchuk.

Three prominent human rights activists and some 20 spectators were arrested as police blocked sound equipment from the venue.

Last month, hundreds of protesters staged a rare and violent protest against the planned roadway. 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 AP.