Activists link ecologist's arrest in Novokubansk with his defence of Lagonaki

The Novokubansk District Court has ruled to arrest Sergey Stroganov, an activist from Novokubansk, for five days finding him guilty of spreading extremist materials. In their turn, eco-activists believe that prosecution of Stroganov has to do with his statements against the construction of a mountain resort in the territory of the Lagonaki Plateau.

The message about the activist's detention was sent to the Telegram channel of the "Caucasian Knot". "They fabricate an extremism case against the author of the petition in defence of Lagonaki," wrote the author of the message.

Alexandra Lvitsina, an advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that her client was charged under an article on the production and distribution of extremist materials (Article 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation). The advocate has stressed that Stroganov refuses to plead guilty.

The members of the community "Let's Save Lagonaki Together!" in the VKontakte social network have associated Sergey Stroganov's detention with his speeches against the development of the Lagonaki Plateau.

Maria, a 28-year-old student from the Krasnodar Territory, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that she did not personally know Sergey Stroganov. "I learned about him after he posted the petition "Not allow to turn the Caucasian Reserve (Lagonaki) into a ski resort!" on the "Change.org" portal. "They can't judge such a person for his civic position [...] Instead of those who are going to liquidate our common heritage, they judge those who stand for the law and order," Maria has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 19, 2022 at 03:59 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.