The victory of the "Sun partisans"

How pensioners from the Karelian village of Suna defended their forest

There will be no Suna Suna’s village near the village. The Ministry of Nature Management of the Republic of Karelia revoked the subsoil use license previously issued by Saturn Nordstroy. The struggle of the villagers lasted almost five years.

The head of the Republic of Karelia, Arthur Parfenchikov, recently spoke about the struggle for Sunsky Bor. "The confrontation of local residents and enterprises for the development of a sand career acquired extreme forms after the elderly, war veterans at the end of last year defeated the tent camp to prevent the use of the forest site allocated for sand extraction," said the acting governor.

Borus defenders did not leave the tent camp even in severe frosts - in winter the temperature dropped below minus thirty

This statement summed up the five -year struggle of the inhabitants of the village of Suna for the forest, which is located next to their houses. Officials called the villagers "environmental terrorists." Police and the FSB regularly came to their home. The defenders of Bora did not leave the tent camp even in severe frosts - in winter the temperature dropped below minus thirty.

Radio Liberty recalls how Karelian pensioners defended their forest.

Red ribbons

Nina Shalaeva

In 2012, Nina Shalaeva noticed in the forest near her house of workers. They hung red ribbons on the trees. Men said that now there will be a quarry on the site of the Sunsky boron. Shalaeva came to her neighbor Tatyana Romakhina and together they decided to write an appeal to the district administration.

So, a little less than five years ago, the bureaucratic, and then the physical struggle of the inhabitants of the village of Suna for their forest began.

“To the right of us for six kilometers, the quarry is exploded there, they get crushed stone, we have a Linogorsk quarry on the left, they also explode, behind our backs, the railway rumbles. Here we have one place behind the river-this pine forest. But we decided to destroy everything there. We got up with a live shield!” - says Tatyana.

The forest literally feeds local residents: here they collect berries and mushrooms, and then sell them to tourists. About a hundred people live in the village itself. But only in the summer. In winter, most local residents, mostly pensioners, leave for neighboring cities and villages. Nina Shalaeva is from those who remain to winter - health allows.

“In general,“ shala ”is on the Karelian“ forest. ”So my last name is forest, if you translate. So my whole life is connected with the forest - my father was a forester,” she says.

They made a forgery of documents! Forester wrote in the act that everyone recommends building a quarry there

In 2012, he and Tatyana Romakhina wrote to all instances and asked if the deforestation is legal? The answers came different.

"At first they reassured us, they said that they did not know anything yet. Then they said that everything was already decided, the company has in their hands. Our administration generally wrote in the act of choosing a land plot, that the local population has no complaints about this forest plot, this forest plot in terms of the collection of berries was not in demand, they made a forgery of documents! The main forestry of the Kondokozh district wrote in the act of choice of land The site that they all recommend building a quarry there, ”says Tatyana.

Red Book lichen Lobaria Pulmonaria

Women found two species of red -hot plants in the forest. Later it turned out that right there, in the Sunsky Bor, there are archaeological monuments - the parking lot of an ancient man. In 2015, with new documents, Nina Shalaeva and Tatyana Romakhina went to the district court. In the first instance, residents of the village won, but then the Supreme Court of Karelia and the Supreme Court of Russia sided with the company Saturn Nordstroy.

Without waiting for the final court decision, the company drove the Harvesters to the Sunsky Bor - heavy cars for the roll of forest.

Tent camp and arrested saw

“When they first went to chop the forest, in June, we went out and stood in the way of cars. We said:“ We will cut down at night. ”We set up a tent and stayed. And the roller team came that night. They wanted to dump all over the night, but we stopped them. And then they were on duty in turn,” Tatyana recalls.

The camp was placed on the edge of the clearing of the cutter. At night, four people were on duty. Then the defenders of the forest were nicknamed the "Sunsk partisans." The technique stood nearby - the workers were waiting for the "partisans" to go home.

You probably have children, grandchildren will be. How will you explain it to them?

By that time, Nina Shalaeva was already called an extremist - they came from the FSB to her home several times and conducted preventive conversations. Police appeared in the forest every now and then. They did not have a specific task, and they simply on duty near the camp. "You probably have children, there will be grandchildren. This is how you will explain it to them?" - Now and then the police officers did Nina Petrovna.

Until the end of September, the camp was relatively calm - activists associated this lull with elections to the State Duma.

The hypothesis was confirmed: in early October, the workers again tried to storm the forest. Nina Shalaeva stood in front of Harvester again. Harvester waved a pensioner with a claw above his head, but it was not possible to intimidate her. Forest rollers retreated. After that, the "Sun partisans" recorded a video message to the president.

“Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, you defend Crimea, Donbass, Syria. Protect our homeland - Sunsky Bor,” Nina McCoeva said in the cell.

In the fall, people began to leave the village. Those who stayed on duty at night in two, or even alone.

“When the cold began to advance, scientists with apatite sent a yellow tent for the winter for the winter. We put the stove there, insulated. So we winter,” Tatyana Romakhina recalls. “In November, two large dogs, nickname and Bim were nailed to the camp. They barking and scaring away wild animals. When it was completely scary, I took the pots and threshed with a spoon. They are afraid of people stronger than we are. "

The police began to visit much less often, but acted more actively. In December, when Nina Shalaeva sawed firewood, a police officer and foresters arrived in the camp.

“We sawed ordinary dryness. They examined the camp, saw a two -handed saw in my hands and come on:“ Here it is - an instrument of crime. ”They arrested my saw! And then they said that I knocked down six large trees,” recalls Nina Petrovna.

Six months have passed, but the saw was never returned.

The night duty officer replaced three daytime - darkens in Karelia early. Boror protection has become a way of life

Frosts hit in November. The partisans are already accustomed to life in the camp: an awning appeared above the bonfire, a tent was insulated from the inside with foam panels and carpets. There were also worked out algorithms: daytime duty officers came by nine in the morning. Sometimes they took breakfast at the eighty -year -old Nina Mckaeva for all - her house was just along the way. The night duty officer replaced three daytime - darkens in Karelia early. Boror protection has become a way of life.

New Year was celebrated in the forest. At the end of December it was below thirty. “The Christmas tree was dressed up there and we could not leave the forest,” recalls Tatyana Romakhina.

"We will still stand"

In early February, the ex-head of Karelia, Alexander Khudilinen, said at a meeting with deputies of the local parliament that young people whose "stimulates" in Sunsky Bor. The Minister of Nature Management and Ecology of Karelia Viktor Chikalyuk called the defenders of the forest "environmental terrorists."

On February 15, Khudilainen resigned. The acting governor was appointed Arthur Parfenchikov. On March 20, the license of the company "Saturn Nordstroy" was recalled for subsoil use.

"All procedures for the design of the forest plot for subsoil use were carried out in accordance with the law, here is only the voice of people for whom Sunsky Bor is an integral part of their history and lifestyle - no one heard," Parfenchikov said.

"I took the letter to the government, wrote that we thank ( acting governor.-RS ) that he made the right decision. While we still stand. As soon as we get some kind of paper, an answer or something else, then we will leave our lives and do not see our lives!" - Tatyana says with joy.