A case was opened against an environmental activist who climbed a tree for damaging green spaces.

The Moscow Department of Natural Resources Management and Environmental Protection drew up an administrative protocol against environmental activist Olga Kuzmina who climbed a tree in August. Her mother told OVD-Info about this.

The protocol was drawn up on November 19 under the article on damage to green spaces (Part 1 of Article 4.18 of the Moscow Administrative Code). The senior state inspector of Moscow in the field of environmental protection, A. Yakimova, drew up a protocol based on materials from the police department for the Losinoostrovsky district.

According to the protocol (a copy is at the disposal of OVD-Info), Kuzmina “climbed a poplar tree growing on the territory of the Babushkinsky PKiO <...>, as a result of which, at her location at a height of approximately 20 m from the ground, branches of the specified tree were broken in the amount 5 pieces".

The hearing of the case is scheduled for December 15 at 11 a.m. at the environmental control department of the North-Eastern District (Kargopolskaya, 17).

Currently, the environmental activist is under house arrest, being accused in a criminal case of hooliganism (Part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code). This preventive measure has already been extended twice. Soon, by a court decision, Kuzminawill be sent to compulsory hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital. The investigation cited the fact that during an outpatient examination, doctors indicated “an unclear clinical picture” as the only reason for hospitalization.

• A case of hooliganism was opened against Olga Kuzmina because of the action on August 9 - on that day she tied herself to a tree, thus demanding to stop construction at 15 Yantarny Proezd. The prosecution noted that the crossbow that the Muscovite had with her during the action is not a bladed weapon and can be used for sports and recreation. Earlier, lawyer Tatyana Solomina also emphasized that the crossbow was declared unsuitable for shooting due to a malfunction of the mechanism.
• After the action, Kuzmina was arrested for six days under the article on disobedience to the police (Article 19.3 of the Administrative Code). Then the security forces searched her home and took away all her equipment and electronic media. On August 15, at the exit from the special detention center, the woman was detained and sent to a temporary detention facility.