Defenders of Volga-Akhtuba floodplain set up tent camp

Eight tents have been set up by opponents of oak felling in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain near the site where the road construction is planned.

In early 2021, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment refused to approve the project submitted by the authorities of the Volgograd Region on cutting down oaks for the construction of a road in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. Later in June, it became known that the above Ministry allowed building a road across the floodplain by cutting down a part of the grove for this purpose. Activists threatened to hold protest actions. On July 7, about 50 residents of the Volgograd Region gathered at the road construction site and demanded from the prosecutor's office and the police to conduct a check in connection with the planned felling of oaks.

On August 8, opponents of cutting down oaks in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain set up eight tents near the road construction, Ivan Ivanov, an activist, has informed.

Mikhail Solomonov, another activist, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that initially 12 tents were set up, but only eight remained – the rest were blown away by the wind.

"If they continue cutting trees down, we'll try to stop them and call the police. We wrote a complaint about the inaction of the Volga Environmental Prosecutor's Office; and we are waiting for a response ... The aim of the tent camp is to invite everyone to learn about this project, and exchange experiences," the activist has explained.