On February 16, 2012 in Kharkiv has been carried out an action arranged by “Green Front” and directed against deforestation of Moskovskiy Prospekt Ave. It’s well known fact that this felling is a part of the “beautification” of Kharkov to Euro 2012. Here is a photoset from the action: https://picasaweb.google.com/113425524036411200199/fwgtCD

The chippermen, traditionally, didn’t have any felling permits and stumpage fees. Moreover, the workers are already so used to impunity, that all attempts of protesters to call up the police and stop illegal tree annihilation only made them laugh. From their lorry there were heard cynical yells like “We don’t show any permits!”, “We don’t need the permits!” and so on.

We can’t but mention the fact that the cutting area was walled in just in name only– with a traffic sign “roadwork” and several safety cones. The safety tape, obligatory at such works, was obviously thought not worthy wasting money on. Such a negligent attitude towards the safety rules, subsequently resulted in that a broken branch fell onto a head of a newswoman, which keep up a running commentary on the action.

Only when the protesters made the stand for trees, literally with their own bodies, the chippermen finally knocked off.

It’s all too evident that not a single organization working on legal basis would knock off in the middle of the working day. Because that would be lost legal money. Why then within some fifteen minutes all instruments were packed away and the truck, pulling down lime branches, rushed away like a Schumacher’s race car (photo 5, 6)?

It can be also seen on the photos, that nearby the cutting area has already disappeared the fence, previously enclosuring the complex of hospital buildings. Perhaps, there has been planned another “reconstruction”?

High-density traffic won’t diffuse for traffic lights work with former intervals (photo 8). But without a dense verdured median strip of the avenue there will be not a breath of air around!

Kharkovites are deeply concerned with fact of current mass and any-place character of fellings in the city.
Maybe the reason is that on the eve of Euro 2012 everything on the whole is already allowed?
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Contact us:
"Pechenigy" Environmental Group:
Angelina Rusanova, +38(066)-361-26-80, tehhishek[at]gmail.com

“Green Front” Environmental Group:
Svetlana Shkurat, +38(063) 321-91-91svetlarika[at]gmail.com
Sergey Chadromtsev, +38(097) 937-38-46, chadromtsev[at]yahoo.com

Created by Environmental Group "Pechenigy", a member of International Social Ecological Union.
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