Violence Erupts Between Protesters, Riot Police at Russian Landfill Site

Opponents of a controversial landfill in northwest Russia clashed with riot police in the latest violent episode of ongoing protests against plans to take in garbage from Moscow.

Protests against the $162 million landfill in Shiyes, Arkhangelsk region have become a symbol of Russia’s growing trend of issues-based local activism. Almost a year of demonstrations in the abandoned village and in nearby cities has led to reports that Moscow would halt activities at the construction site in mid-June.

Around 50 activists formed a human shield on Tuesday to prevent construction workers from reinstalling a fence around the construction site, footage shared by the 7x7 news website shows.

Approximately the same number of riot police huddled together to push back the activists as onlookers yelled “Shame!”

At least seven activists have been detained, the OVD-Info police-monitoring website reported. The altercation ended without injuries after workers were allowed to continue erecting the fence, according to the outlet.

The violence follows a week of clashes, hospitalizations, detentions and fines in the abandoned village of Shiyes. On Sunday, thousands of residents of Syktyvkar, a city in the Russian republic of Komi, rallied against the Shiyes landfill 250 kilometers to its east.