Just weeks after mysterious and unannounced repair works on the Leningrad Highway paralyzed transportation between Moscow and the Sheremetyevo International Airport, tensions around this highway have been stirred once again.
The recent artificially-created five-hour-long traffic jams on the Leningrad Highway emphasized the need for an alternative route, which according to state officials, can be built only in the currently forested area. Russian authorities want to ease traffic congestion on the way to Sheremetyevo by clearing large areas of the Khimki forest to make way for the construction of an $8 billion highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Ecologists, a number of journalists and activists from various groups including Ecodefense and Green Peace see some serious foul play. In particular, they assert that city officials have artificially created the appearance that the forest is the only available area for the new highway in order to privatize the land and make it a commercial entity, eventually for sale. Because the law prohibits the sale of forests, officials employ the tactic of transferring the status of non-commercial areas (forests, parks and agricultural lands) to commercial areas (residential, industrial and transportation land), which enables the area to be resold. According to Forbes Russia, this financial motivation is highly evident in all construction and clearing plans of state officials in regard to the Khimki forest.
This case of the forest blockade and the previous case of the airport blockade share too many uncanny links. In both cases, construction works announced in the name of public good in reality serve the local business interests of a few city officials. The artificial blockade of the Leningrad Highway could have been orchestrated to provide additional justification for making the forest a commercial entity.
Although it is highly questionable whether the decision to clear a large part of the Khimki forest serves the public good, it’s legality is difficult to dispute. Recently, the Russia’s Supreme Court has rejected the case, and activists have filed another complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. Meanwhile, however, a chunk of trees has been already cleared from this lonely island of fresh air in northern Moscow infamous for its dire environmental situation.
Possibly related posts:
