JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s rubbish mountain piles pressure on Putin; Waste recycling reforms spark protests from provincial residents” – Financial Times/ Max Seddon
“… in woodland near … Likino-Dulyovo … [demonstrators] stare down riot police and bulldozers. … want[ing] to stop … construction of a garbage processing plant in wet peatland forest that they say feeds local rivers and hosts endangered species. … fac[ing] violent crackdowns, with reports of police beating and arresting protesters … dragging an elderly man away by the arm after allegedly breaking it. … [The demonstrators have been] catapulted into one of the largest waves of protests Russia has seen in recent years. … With Putin’s flagging approval ratings … [at] their lowest point in more than a decade because of declining living standards. … the Kremlin has made rare concessions to provincial protesters including halting construction of a cathedral in Ekaterinburg …. [A] proposed mega-dump on … pine forest in Shiyes … has been temporarily halted after locals from surrounding towns occupied a protest camp …. [The Kremlin’s] approach contrasts with [its] stance on political opposition supporters …. “