Those opposed to the construction of a retail park in Verkh-Isetsky district of Yekaterinburg (to be developed by Forum Group) keep protesting, says Yabloko coordinator for Sverdlovsk Region Irina Skachkova.

The construction site was blocked for four hours on Saturday. Activists claimed their went for a walk in the park and presented the authorities the ruling of the Statutory Court that said the area around was considered to be a TOP 1 kind of territory (a park); as they were not allowed to enter the park for some unclear reasons, they decided to have a picnic on the roadside. Incidentally, their cars suddenly broke down, so they had to wait for some help to have them repaired. Both the picnic and the working day of the truck drivers who were thus locked on the construction site turned out to last longer than expected,’ Skachkova said.

Upon arriving at the scene, the police found no legal offense in the citizens’ actions and did not interfere: the broken car was parked by the side of the road in accordance with the rules, and walking around is not prohibited. The police officers did ask the drivers of the cars for an explanation, though,’ she added.

Now the opponents of the construction claim that the land for the retail park was allotted illegally and that cutting down the trees in the area is also unlawful.