Protesters rally in Russia’s Irkutsk against lake Baikal logging law PHOTO

On December 27, around 300 people gathered in Irkutsk to protest against a new law permitting large-scale logging around Lake Baikal.

Demonstrators carried placards reading slogans such as “Save Baikal,” “No Logging at Baikal,” and “Buttons in the Hall, Stumps in the Forest,” Caliber.Az reports, citing ASTRA.

The rally was approved by local authorities and featured speeches from public and political figures, including Yabloko party leader Nikolai Rybakov, Communist Party State Duma deputy Sergey Levchenko, and event organiser Petr Mekhonoshin.

At the conclusion of the protest, participants recorded a message addressed to President Vladimir Putin, senators, and members of the State Duma, expressing their opposition to the logging legislation. They highlighted that a law protecting Lake Baikal has existed for 26 years but has yet to be effectively enforced.

Levchenko emphasised that the law should take into account the socio-economic development of communities along the lake, but so far, little progress has been made in this area.

By Aghakazim Guliyev