Green demo in Kyiv

Blogger Olena Bilozerska reports on what looks like quite a big demo in the Spring sunshine in Kyiv today by what seemed to be a 'rainbow coalition' called 'The Defenders of Kyiv'.

Their main demands are:

• a stop to further development of the city's green areas,
• a moratorium on new building construction to protect historical buildings and monuments,
• a moratorium on the closures or privatisation of museums and libraries, and reassessment of such actions that took place over the last five years,
• the creation of a decent infrastructure in the city for cyclists,
• the provision of litter bins, a city 'clean-up', and introductions of fines for dropping litter,
• a freeze public transport costs and housing utility costs, etc.

Lots of photos at the link above. Unlike several recent 'rent-a-mob' demonstrations paid for by political sponsors, this one looks quite genuine..lots of young people, some with kids..normal folks..not the usual nasty skin-head 'mordati' louts...

People beginning to find their voice again?

p.s. "Boris Nemtsov has published the [must read] fifth instalment of his White Paper series reviewing the manifold failures of the Putin regime. This time, his focus is personal corruption by Vladimir Putin himself.."

"Corruption has ceased being a problem in Russia; it has become a system. Its metastases have paralysed the country’s social and economic life."

This is the system the folks in Kyiv were protesting against I guess...