Russian Activists Launch International Campaign to Save Moscow's Khimki Forest

How far would you go to save a forest? What would you sacrifice?

Leading an effort to stop deforestation takes guts—wherever you live. The case I describe below, playing out in Russia today, is way beyond that.

Russia's Save Khimki Forest Movement is comprised of truly inspiring, courageous grassroots activists who have survived beatings, arrests and intimidation in order to save a single forest from destruction. As their movement has grown, their cause has also become about so much more than a forest. As The Association Press put it, the uproar they have caused is "Russia's broadest protest movement in years," one that is symbolic of the country's most "intractable issues: corruption, land use and the abuse of power."

The story began in 2007 when Evgenia Chirikova, a young mother with no history in activism, discovered signs that swaths of Khimki Forest were destined to be clear cut to make way for a major Moscow-St. Petersberg toll highway. Khimki is one of Russia's few government protected forests, an old-growth oak stand that ecologists say is key to the environmental health of the Moscow region.

Chirikova began organizing to stop the bulldozers, and journalists began investigating how the supposedly off-limits trees could be cut with no public discussion at all. To get an understanding of the corruption inherent in many Russian road projects here is one amazing statistic: New roads in Russia apparently are built at a cost of $237 million a kilometer, according to a Russian watchdog group. In the U.S. a kilometer of road costs about $6 million.

In this case, as activists peeled back the layers of corruption that led to the selected forest route (which is supposedly cheaper than several alternative routes through an existing industrial area), they hit a nerve. People were fed up. The movement to save the forest grew.

So too did the activists' personal peril. One journalist, Mikhail Beketov, was horrifically beaten near his home. Today he has permanent brain damage and is stuck in wheelchair. Police have arrested others under slim pretenses, and a spin-off campaign for the release of the "Khimki hostages" has formed. Chirikova has personally experienced recent threats—recently, child protection agents came to her apartment investigating "complaints" she beats and starves her daughters. Later, they admitted receiving no such reports. Another lead organizer, Yaroslav Nikitenko, a young physics student who now dedicates most of his energy to this cause, was detained as recently as yesterday.

Here, at this link, you can read their documentation of a long chronicle of abuses.

Despite these threats, the movement has made unprecedented progress. Last summer, after more than 3,000 people demonstrated in the center of Moscow, and President Dmitri Medvedev himself—a leader who has vowed to combat Russia's rampant corruption—personally postponed construction to hold more public discussion (Prime Minister Putin, however, has always been in favor). The New York Times noted the decision was "a rare concession to public opinion," and numerous other mainstream media outlets around the world have covered this news. But it soon became clear that this public dialogue was essentially a sham. The activists were excluded from discussions. Deliberations were held behind closed doors by a government commission that included officials who stand to benefit.  In December, the President dealt the final blow—assistants announced the Khimki road project was approved, and said it would be "impossible to stop."

Impossible? The Khimki activists will not give up.

With a petition on Change.org, Russia's Save Khimki Forest Movement is mounting an urgent international appeal. They have decided to switch strategies, since the Russian government will no longer listen. Instead, they are targeting Vinci, the world's largest construction group, which is about to sign a new contract for a concession to begin construction of the 15 kilometer highway segment through Khimki (the original contract expired with the delays).

They have sent a letter to Vinci's headquarters in Paris, calling out the company for violating the human rights and environmental principles of the U.N. Global Compact, which the company has signed. So far company officials have ignored them, saying the abuses and opposition are "not a source of concern."

But Vinci, a French company, they believe may be more susceptible to an international outcry—especially if thousands of people sign and the media writes stories that add to the pressure. In addition, the Russian government may begin to get worried again about the project if Vinci starts asking questions. As Reuters reports, the project is seen "as a litmus test" for infrastructure investors, because is is the first concession deal with a major foreign firm.

Over the last few weeks, I've been corresponding with Yaroslav Nikitenko, one of the lead activists. Here is just a short excerpt of what he has to say about why this campaign is important:

"The real purpose is just to take forest land. It's price near Moscow is extremely high. The purpose of the officials is to take as much forest land as possible, to build there supermarkets and receive money. People are against it. 73% of Khimki citizens, and 66% of Russian citizens are against the project. But no one hears them. The Khimki forest is a unique precedent in Russia - when civil society tries to struggle with the government. Depending on the fate of the Khimki forest the same will be with other forests in Moscow region or near other big cities - the mayors follow the situation with the Khimki forest."

Please help the Save Khimki Forest Movement. Tell Vinci to pressure the Russian government to seriously examine one of many alternative routes that exist, and to address the human rights abuses that have occurred.

The activists are also launching an international week of actions during the last week of April, just before a Vinci shareholders meeting in Paris on May 2nd. Help them build momentum by signing, and sharing this petition. Email your friends all around the world. Put it on your Facebook wall, and take action today.  Thank you!

If you represent an organization and want to offer more support, please spread this petition to your supporters and email ecmoru(at)gmail.com

Photo credit: Save Khimki Forest Movement's Facebook page