News

Two Russian environmentalists apprehended while protesting in Yekaterinburg

Publish date: August 15, 2003

An anti-nuclear camp’s activists ”decorated” the election headquarters of Sverdlovsk regional governor Edward Rossel with a 100-meter banner.

About 40 environmentalists from the International Antinuclear Camp took part in the action against plutonium usage at Russian NPPs and construction of the new atomic reactor at the Beloyarsk NPP. The protest began at noon in the centre of Yekaterinburg close to the election headquarters of the acting Sverdlovsk regional governor Rossel, who is in favour of plutonium industry development. A group of activists unfurled the 100 square meters banner that read ”No new reactors” on the building, while the other group unfolded another banner near the entrance to the election headquarters saying ”Stop Plutonium!”. The protest took 40 minutes. At åpproximately at 12.30 two climbers from the anti-nuclear group ”Ecodefence” group were arrested. Police officials promised to release them today. ”We are protesting against the dangerous experiment with weapons-grade plutonium usage at the nuclear plant which were approved by the Sverdlovsk regional governor. The fourth reactor at the Beloyarsk NPP is under construction precisely for this purpose,” Vladimir Slivyak, co-chairman of the Ecodefence group and co-ordinator of the anti-nuclear camp, said. ”The idea of using plutonium at NPPs leads to economical losses and possible nuclear proliferation, while plutonium transportation increase the risk of accidents and theft.”