Press Release, 7.06.2024

Photo from social media

On 5 June, the Arbitration Court of Karelia refused to satisfy businessman Vyacheslav Gorbachev’s claim for the protection of honour, dignity and business reputation against Yekaterina Rayevskaya from the Vepsian village of Sheltozero, who opposed the cutting down of a pine forest on the shore of Lake Onega for the construction of a tourist centre. The interests of the defendant were represented by Olga Tuzhikova, a lawyer and a deputy of Petrozavodsk Council from the Yabloko party.

In July 2023, there emerged information on the Internet about the construction of a modular glamping site on the shores of Lake Onega in the Vepsian village of Sheltozero. The project was had to be implemented by the peasant farm of Vladimir Gorbachev. However, village residents expressed strong disagreement with the entrepreneur’s plans, despite his promises of new jobs and an improvement in the economic situation in the village. One of the main reasons for the conflict was the cutting down of a pine forest that could take place on the shore of the lake. The businessman stated that he was mobbed with participation of deputies from the Yabloko party, who supported the protest of local residents against the construction of a tourist centre.

Vladimir Gorbachev sued Yekaterina Rayevskaya for her fight against the cutting down of a pine forest. The environmental activist regularly made posts on social media criticising the businessman’s activities. In April 2024, Rayevskaya was “warned against violating the law” by employees of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement agencies of Karelia. The activist continued her activities and was also able to win a defamation case with the support of a deputy from the Yabloko party.

“I believe that Vladimir Gorbachev cannot implement his investment projects not because of the public outcry, but because of his own fault and because of the mistakes of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia, which “overlooked” the existing restrictions on his land plot for conducting economic activities and allowed his applications before participating in the competition,” Olga Tuzhikova said.

“The government and business need to learn to hear and listen to people. The decision to build such facilities made only on the basis of a local referendum will facilitate such “training”,” Emilia Slabunova, member of the Federal Political Committee of the Yabloko party and deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia, commented on the situation.

At present, the construction of a tourist centre on the shore of Lake Onega has been suspended by the decision of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Karelia, and examinations of forest plantations within the boundaries of the site are being carried out.