Law enforcers of Tuapse underestimate the strength of the rally, ecologists say

Igor Zhelyabin, head of the press service of the GUVD (Chief Interior Department) for the Krasnodar Territory, had deliberately told the media that the rally on April 9 against the launch of the Tuapse Terminal of the "EuroChem" Company, intended for handling chemical fertilizers, was attended by a total of 100 persons, while in fact the figure was over 500. This is stated by a message issued by the public organization "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus".

So far, Mr Zhelyabin gave no comment on the allegations regarding his understated report.

The rally could have been much more populous, if not for the strong cold wind and periodic rain; each of the three last year's rallies brought together 1-5000 protesters, the message says. The action was organized by the faction "Green Russia" of the "Yabloko" Party, supported by the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus".

In the opinion of the initiators of the rally, city authorities tried by all means to prevent it - they tore away leaflets, sent SMS-messages and organized mass cultural events in parallel with the rally. At the same time with the rally they held a rock festival in the city park two blocks away from the venue of the rally and a concert of the "Kalinka" folk instruments ensemble in the City House of Culture. According to the organizers, "it was occasional that at the beginning of the rally suddenly electricity was switched off in the house, located next to the venue, to which the sound-amplification equipment was connected."

Apart from the terminal, the activists spoke against illegal, in their view, expansion of the "Rosneft" oil refinery; and on inadmissibility of oil extraction from the Black Sea shelf. They also discussed the problem of housing and municipal utilities and the urban landfill on Cape Kadosh.

Official invitations to the rally were sent to Vladimir Lybanev, head of the administration of the Tuapse District, and Alexander Chekhov, head of the administration of Tuapse; however, neither of them appeared.

In the opinion of the organizers, the main outcome of the rally was the people's demonstration to the authorities and companies that they have not calmed down and come to terms with the situation; they are still committed to actively defend their right to healthy environment, despite the attempts to intimidate them through various forms of pressure, up to the illegal long-term arrests, as the case was with Evgeniy Vitishko, head of the Tuapse branch of the "Yabloko" Party and a member of the Board of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus".

Vladimir Torin, head of the PR department of the "EuroChem" Company said that the terminal in Tuapse was built according to the law; it does not work yet and has no effect on the environment." He did not specify the commissioning date, saying that the "EuroChem" considers such rallies as an attempt of manipulations, the RIA "Novosti" reports.