In the Krasnodar Territory, ecologists, heading for place of limestone mining near village of Aibga, detained

On September 18 in the village of Yermolovka of Adler District of Sochi, Suren Gazaryan and Maria Ukhova, the activists of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", who headed for the area of the mountain village of Aibga where limestone was extracted to conduct a public inspection, were detained. According to the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", the limestone is mined there illegally.

Detention of ecologists in village of Yermolovka

On September 18, at about 10:00 Moscow time, when the activists visited a shop in the village of Yermolovka to buy products, they were detained by the Black Sea/Azov Border Guard Department of the Coast Guard Service of the Russian FSB and brought to the Border Guard Station in Yermolovka.

Warrant Officer Matveev, a staff member of the Border Guard Service, who carried out the detention of the ecologists, earlier detained Suren Gazaryan in October 2009, when the latter along with Andrei Rudomakha tried to interfere with the PR action of the OJSC 'RZhD' (Russian Railways) to transplant boxwood trees at the construction of the combined road "Adler-Krasnaya Polyana". According to the ecologists, Matveev made no secret that he fulfilled the "order" - to protect the mining from the local residents and ecologists.

The activists were accused of violation the border zone regime. However, despite the fact that the activists were detained in the village, the protocol record of Suren Gazaryan states that he was "detained in the office of the Chief of the Border Guard Station". The ecologists do not agree with the charges against them and are ready to challenge their detention in the court, the statement on the website of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", dated September 18, reports.

To the citizens, Article 18.2 of the Administrative Code of the Russia Federation (violation of border regime in border zone) provides for a fine of one hundred to three hundred roubles, the website "Kasparov.Ru" reports.

Ecologists consider mining of limestone near village of Aibga to be illegal

According to the ecologists, the very mining of limestone is carried out on the eastern slope of Dzykhrinsky karst solid mass, in the 24th quarter of the Sochi National Park, which is included in the specially protected zone. Here, on the rocks of the Shakhginskoe Gorge, several species of plants listed in the Red Book of Russia and the Krasnodar Territory grow. Quarry operation is carried out with the help of excavators; limestone is loaded to dump trucks and is brought to a crusher located up to the village of Yermolovka.

According to workers, at present, the existing road to the village Aibga is being extended on the slope; and the administration of the Krasnodar Territory finances the road extension. However, the project of the road reconstruction did not pass the state ecological expertise, and its extension was not provided by the Forest Development Project of the Sochi National Park, the ecologists claim.

They refer to the instruction of Dmitry Medvedev to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Alexander Tkachov regarding the limestone mining in the territory of the Sochi National Park. On June 21, 2011, Russian President instructed the government and the regional administration to take measures to comply with obligations of the bid book "Sochi-2014". These instructions include consideration of possibility of stopping the limestone mining in the territory of the Sochi National Park and relief of excavated soil, the "Zhivaya Kuban" (Living Kuban) reports.

The "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" has already appealed to the management of the Rosprirodnadzor (Federal Supervisory Natural Resources Supervisory Agency) in the Krasnodar Territory demanding to consider the situation and punish the guilty persons, and decided to hold on September 18 the public inspection in the area of the illegal limestone mining, which ended with the detention of the activists of the organization.

Comments of representatives of Border Guard Service, Rosprirodnadzor and regional and local authorities on the detention of the ecologists and ongoing limestone mining in the area of the village of Aibga are still unavailable.