The guards of the mountains

The inhabitants of Bashkiria defended Shihan Kushtau, entering into a fight with oligarchs, officials and security forces. And they proved that only they are the owners of their land.

On August 3, Lightning parted in the Bashkir media: they began to chop the forest on the Holy Shihan, the mountain would be completely excavated for the production of limestone. And already on August 16, not only the Bashkir, but the entire federal press wrote: "The head of Bashkiria suspended work on Shihan." For 14 days, the residents of the republic showed not only local, but also the Moscow authorities that they will not allow them to destroy their heritage and turn the Bashkir mountains into money.

14 days of rallies, blocking industrial equipment, clashes with “titles” and riot police. Proceeding the attacks of tear gas and smoke bombs. Going to the bars.

14 days of insults in the media: "There are almost all extremists there."

“Bashkir Soda Company” (“BSK”) called itself the “nurse” of the republic. And she felt the mistress. For 14 days, officials defended her interests, in her interests the police and the Russian Guard beat people.

It was then that the president will announce that the “nurse” was no “nurse”. That the giant enterprise gives Bashkiria only 1.7% of the total taxes, and almost all profits (11–12 MLD rubles a year) - withdraws abroad so that the owners can restore two chic chatoos in France. This later turns out that half of the republican officials are somehow connected with the soda company, and therefore frantically defend its interests, stating that the “decision has been made”.

But at first it was required for people to win.

Having protected Kushtau, the Bashkirs defended not only and not so much a 374-meter mountain. They defended their culture (Shihan sinking in folk legends), their national pride, and most importantly - their right to dispose of their native land.

We publish monologues of three winners.

Ruzina Mukhamedzhanova

activist:

- The story with the Shikhans did not begin in 2020. It lasted ten years: at first the Bashkir Soda Company attempted to eat another Shihan - Toratau, who had already had a security status. Due to the protests, the issue of development hung in the air, and Radii Khabirov, who came to power in 2018, gave to the Kustau industrialists-“as a compromise”. At the same time, no one asked the opinion of people, no public hearings were held.

The fact that they began to chop the forest on the mountain was known at the end of July. When the activists arrived at Shihan, it turned out that many trees had already been cut down. A signal went along social networks: “It has begun! You have to do something. ”

At first there were few people, but when the industrialists began to enter the mountain with equipment, then they reached out. Someone went to defend the monument of nature, someone-their homeland. It was important for me to protect the place where my grandparents lived, where my mother was born. Moreover, I did not want to give Kuzhtau for the sake of processing it into carbon dioxide ( gas is formed during the burning of limestone rocks in the furnace, it is necessary for the production of soda by Solva. - Ed. ). CO2 is a big problem for the whole world. Everyone is trying to minimize his emissions. Will we give our mountain for this gas?

We hoped that they would talk and hear with us. But the technique went to people.

Yes, it was scary. But there was also confidence that the last word we will say it is we. Even when the camp was dispersed and fenced with a mountain with barbed wire. Where should we run if the Motherland was in danger? Moreover, there were many of us, and people around the world supported us.

Human unity works miracles. It was not important on the mountain who was of any nationality, religion, political views. Everyone needed only one thing - to protect Shihan.

Protected.

Ramil Rakhmatov

Journalist of the newspaper Bonus:

- At the third World Kurultai, Bashkir in 2010 discussed the fate of Shihan Toratau, who also wanted to develop the BSC. It was said that next to Shihan they will establish a commemorative stone for all Bashkir birth. On me, then a young journalist, this made a strong impression. I realized that Toratau cannot be given.

Years passed, “BSK” instead of Toratau began to claim Kustau. But for the Bashkirs it was obvious that all three surviving Shihan were valuable, that they cannot be sacrificed. The conversations of the leadership of the soda company that if Kustau is not to develop, the BSK will go bankrupt that there will be mass unemployment, they personally did not touch me: I knew that they had money and that they took them off offshore. They said that they feed the republic, but in fact - exported our wealth.

They began to put pressure on our newspaper before the confrontation. In a month, calls began to receive the proposals to accept the side of the government of the republic on the issue of Kustau. In exchange, it was proposed to "solve problems with advertisers." Of course, we did not succumb.

On the grief itself, it was scary only on the same day, on August 15, when we, the defenders of Shihan, were several dozen, and several hundred storming, including security forces. And then I was not afraid for myself: I just thought that some kind of defender mistake would not lead to a power scenario and further criminal disassemblies.

The desire to quit everything has never arisen. Where to retreat? The republic has nothing left: all important political decisions are made in Moscow, large industrial enterprises are also not belonging to the republic. We have only land, water, our mountains and cultural and historical memory.

Iskhak Farkhutdinov

geologist:

- For me, to protect Kushtau was important in the first place from a scientific point of view. The Bashkir Shikhans are the remains of the Perm period of the Perm period, there are no more analogues of these mountains in the world.

These are excellent examples of the geological annals of our planet, the unique natural heritage of the Republic and the country. And to let this legacy to the production of soda is like drowning the stove with banknotes.

12 species of plants and 1 species of mushrooms from the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus live in Kushtau, of which 6 species are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, as well as 31 species of animals from the Red Book of the Republic of Bashkortostan, of which 14 species are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

In addition, there is an object of cultural heritage on the mountain, a monument of archeology Selishche Kustau.

Is victory achieved? I think yes. First of all, due to the fact that people did not say nothing - they defended the mountain. Of course, the support of famous personalities was important - Yuri Shevchuk, Maxim Galkin. Well, the work of scientists, primarily Professor Mars Gilyazovich Safarov, who gave a scientific justification for the defense of the mountain: not only told about her uniqueness, but also proved that BSK has alternatives - other deposits and technologies.

PS

The investigation of the “new” about the real owners of the BSC, their assets and the real contribution to the economy of the republic became the basis for the president’s intervention in the situation with Kustau. Shihan development is stopped.