In Sochi, locals stop machinery from entering site of Kudepsta TPP

Today in Sochi, local residents have once again stopped heavy construction equipment, which, as stated by the city authorities, is needed to carry out geological surveys in the place of the planned construction of the thermal power plant (TPP) on the Kudepsta River. Today, the protestors were addressed by Alexander Zvyagin, a Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar Territory, who was unsuccessfully trying to convince them of the need to build the TPP.

The confrontation between the builders and residents of the township of Kudepsta has been going on for several weeks. The people have set up a tent camp and organized a night watch in order not to let the construction equipment to the construction site. Today, an anonymous law enforcement source said that the Mayor of Sochi Anatoly Pakhomov had ordered to drive the machinery into the site chosen by the developer for building the Kudepsta TPP.

By 11:00 a.m. Moscow time on the left bank of the Kudepsta River, a police unit appeared, headed by Alexander Kislyar, the Chief of the Police of Adler. Over two hundred local residents opposing the construction are on the right bank of the river.

According to Yuri Dzaganiya, the leader of Sochi Communists, the people holding the defence of the river had to split into two groups to block the passage of vehicles, which planned to make a breakthrough and bypass the protesters right across the river.

"After 2:00 p.m., the standoff ended. The police, the workers, the administration officials and representatives of the developer dispersed. The heavy machines also left," said Igor Vasiliev, an assistant of the Russian State Duma Deputy.

According to his story, people met the retreat of the power agents, officials and builders with applause; and by 3:00 p.m., they also dispersed.

So far, the "Caucasian Knot" has no official comments on what happened today near the Kudepsta River in Sochi.