Press Release, September 24, 2013

YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin gave an address of the mothers of many children, who started a hunger strike in the Volgograd Region, to Ombudsman Vladinir Lukin.

On September 23, 12 mothers of many children launched a hunger strike in Volgograd. They turned to this way of protest to attract the attention of the local authorities to their problems: the absence of social accommodation and low children’s allowance. What is more, the protesters demand the resignation of Sergei Bozhenov, governor of the Volgograd region. According to Galina Boldireva, chair of the Volgograd branch of YABLOKO, the veterans of the Second World War also joined the strike.

Boldireva said that the Department for Countering Extremism was trying to sabotage the strike. Today the electricity was turned off at room were the strike is launched. “This is the only reaction of the authorities. All the attempts to get a hearing go to vacuum. The protesters didn’t get any answer, they are just ignored”, said YABLOKO leader.

The number of protesters is supposed to increase soon. The women said that they don’t have their own accommodation and have to move from one rental apartment to another together with their children. The construction of social accommodation doesn’t take place in the region. According to the protesters, the state of the mothers of many children grew worse with every year and the authorities didn’t take any measures to improve the situation.

“A monthly children’s allowance is 287 roubles (6,36 Euro) for a child. This is enough to buy bread and milk. On September 1 the pay for kindergarten was increased. How can these women survive?”, said YABLOKO leader.

Mitrokhin said that the problems of the mothers on hunger strike should be solved on the federal level as this is the only way to solve the problem.