Press Release, 10.04.2018

The Bureau of the Yabloko party adopted a statement demanding that the killings of homeless animals in the cities hosting the World Cup be stopped immediately, and the resources allocated [to this] should be spent on shelters, sterilisation and vaccination.

At present millions of roubles are allocated from the state budget (presumably, the total amount will finally reach one hundred million). The money is allocated via tenders for catching and killing homeless animals – this is how the authorities understand provision of comfortable stay to foreign guests during the World Cup. Some cities are already catching and shooting dogs and cats instead of searching for humane solutions, working together with animal protection organisations and volunteers, the Yabloko statement runs.

“This approach is based on cynicism and cruelty,” the Bureau of the Party noted in the statement. “It is impossible to teach children right values and try to create a humane society when the authorities massively kill hungry and unkempt stray pets who live in the street for various reasons. And the executors of such actions receive money from the state pocket. Cruelty towards animals leads to cruelty towards people.”

The Yabloko party joins almost two million citizens who have already signed the petition demanding to immediately put an end to the brutal killings.