Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Truck Drivers Strike for 10 Days Against Platon Tax System

Truck drivers from 43 Russian regions have begun a 10-day strike to protest the controversial Platon truck tax system, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the protesters' spokeswoman.

The strike will last until March 1, with drivers halting orders and stopping deliveries, the truck drivers’ spokeswoman Taisiya Nikitenko told Interfax Saturday.

Nikitenko did not specify the number of truck drivers participating in the strike.

The strikers demand the cancellation of the fees imposed by the Platon system, which was introduced in Russia in November 2015. The new system was intended to compensate for the damage done to roads by heavy vehicles and requires drivers of trucks weighing over 12 tons to pay 1.53 rubles ($0.02) per kilometer of federal road they travel.

The launch of Platon was widely criticized by drivers and resulted in mass protests around the country. According to truck driver representative Andrei Bazhutin, the protest was timed to coincide with the planned increase of the fees to 3.06 rubles per kilometer, scheduled from March 1, the Kommersant newspaper reported.

The increase of the tax has been postponed by the authorities but the truck drivers decided to go ahead with the planned strike.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

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 you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more