Residents outside Moscow protest against a noxious landfill

Law enforcement officials detained between 10 and 30 people on Thursday in a town outside Moscow at a protest against noxious fumes released by a nearby landfill. The demonstrators reportedly blocked the road into the dump, leading riot police to move in. The protesters were released later in the evening, after being charged with violating the peace and disobeying police orders.

This was not a one-time thing

Residents in the Moscow region’s Volokolamsk district have repeatedly protested against the “Yadrovo” landfill, arguing that it floods their town with the stink of chlorine, hydrogen sulphide, and other stenches. On March 3, organizers say roughly 5,000 people attended a demonstration against the landfill. Similar protests have also taken place in other districts outside Moscow.

On March 7, the district’s local officials declared a state of emergency due to the release of landfill gas at the Yadrovo dump.