Thousands Protest In Russia's Northwest Against Becoming Moscow's Dumping Ground

KOTLAS, Russia -- Thousands have rallied in the northwestern Russian town of Kotlas against the construction of a new landfill for waste from Moscow.

One of the organizers of the rally, Vyacheslav Grigoryants, told RFE/RL that at least 3,000 men and women demonstrated in the town of 60,000 on December 8.

Other sources said more than 10,000 people attended the rally, where demonstrators demanded a halt to the ongoing construction of the dump in the town of Shiyes, near the regional capital, Arkhangelsk.

Authorities in Arkhangelsk have said that some 10.5 million tons of garbage are to be transferred to the new landfill from Moscow in the next 20 years.

The construction of the new landfill near Arkhangelsk started in July 2018. Protests against it began just a month later.

Similar rallies have been held in recent months in other Russian cities and towns.

In early February, nationwide rallies against landfills took place in 30 regions across Russia.