About 100 farmers from nine districts in Russia's southern Krasnodar region have announced that they intend to take part in a tractor run to Moscow, the Caucasian Knot online newspaper reported Thursday.
Starting on March 28 from Ust-Labinsk, one of the region's towns, the purpose of the trip is to “make President Vladimir Putin aware of the years of illegal seizure of land and violation of the rights of farmers” by private businessmen in the region.
“Our goal is to attract attention to the problem,” regional farmer and an organizer of the protest Oleg Petrov told Caucasian Knot.
“[The businessmen] do not give us work, we threatened them with legal action. People come from Moscow with lots of money, buy the land and then dissolve the rent agreements. Authorities try to help us, but the courts all rule against us,” he said.
Petrov added that farmers decided to take action “out of despair.”
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
