Murmansk environmentalists protested in Moscow
Three people were arrested, one of them from Murmansk, when the environmental organisations Ecodefence and Nature and Youth yesterday staged a protest against old nuclear power plants in Moscow.
According to newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the environmentalists assembled in front of the headquarters of the Federal Techincal Control Authority (Rostekhnadzor) with slogans like “Old reactors – a new Chernobyl”.
According to the website of Ecodefence, three people were arrested in the rally, one of them from Murmansk. Moscow city authorities had granted only three people from the organisations the right to protest. However, ten people participated, resulting in the police intervention. The protesters also put up a banner above the office entrance of the Techincal Control Authority
The environmental organisations argue that Russia should close down its oldest reactors. Among the oldest ones in Russia is the Kola NPP, where the 30 year service life of the reactors were exceeded five years ago.
Russian authorities are planning a further extension of the service of the Kola reactors, Vitalii Servetnik from the Murmansk Nature and Youth organisation says to the website.