Truckers detained near Moscow back at large

Alexei Ulyanov, the coordinator of Volgograd truckers, and other four drivers, who were detained today by the police in Kashira Highway, were released after checking their documents.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that truckers from several regions of Russia, including the Krasnodar Territory, Dagestan, the Volgograd and Rostov Regions, are protesting against the introduction of the "Platon" system aimed at collecting tolls from trucks for using federal highways. Earlier, the strikers announced their intention to transfer protests from their regions to Moscow, and most of them are now in Moscow suburbs.

Alexei Ulyanov was detained today by policemen in the Moscow Circular Highway (known as MKAD), when a group of truckers was on the way to Khimki, where they were to join other strikers. According to the latest information, four other drivers were detained with him.

"They kept us for 1.5 hours," one of them told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, "when video cameras appeared, and truckers began phoning to mass media and the office of Russian Ombudsman, the situation changed dramatically." "A policeman recorded our data and went away to write a report. Now, we're in Khimki," said Alexei Ulyanov.

He added that he had write down the name of the above policeman and intends to file complaints about illegal detention "to all possible instances."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.