Sochi residents hold night watch to prevent construction of HPP

The township Kudepsta (a part of the city of Sochi) sees a continued confrontation of local residents with the developer of the heat-and-power plant (HPP). At about 9:00 p.m., people decided to go home; however, they are ready to resume protests on the first call of those on duty, who stay for the night in tents, against the arrival of heavy machinery to the site.

In the morning on June 1, local residents gathered to a spontaneous rally and did not let the construction machinery across the bridge to the left bank of the Kudepsta River, where they plan to erect the HPP. Residents claim that the construction will make the resort area ecologically unsafe and degrade the comfortable environment of more than 20,000 inhabitants of Kudepsta. The policemen, who were called to the venue, demanded from the people to disperse, accusing them of holding an unsanctioned rally.

"By 5:00 p.m., there were about a hundred locals there and some 20 policemen," Igor Vasiliev, an assistant of the State Duma Deputy, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"We won't go away; Kudepsta is our home. And it should be clean and ecologically friendly for living," said the deputy's assistant.

"We have no doubt that all the Olympic facilities, built on the commercial basis and financed from the state budget, are supported by the very top officials. But this does not mean that their personal interests should be above the public ones," said Galina Koksharova, a resident of Kudepsta.

The on duty unit of the Sochi UVD (Interior Department) said that they would not disperse the people. "There is one police unit in place to maintain the public order," said the on duty officer of the Adler ROVD (District Interior Division).