Rallies and pickets took place in different Russia’s cities
within the framework of YABLOKO’s campaign “Decent Pensions
to the Military” on February 23, the Defender of the Fatherland
Day.
About thousand people came to the rally in Lipetsk demanding
to raise scanty military pensions. Military pensioners, YABLOKO’s
activists and CPRF activists held slogans “Putin to Dismissla!”,
“Military Pension – a Disgrace of the Government!”
About 150 people, less than planned due to severe frosts,
came to the rally in Kazan. The activists held placards “Russia’s
Government Forgot about Military Veterans!”, “Compensations
to Military Pensioners Were Not Raised for 15 years!”, “European
Pensions to Match European Tariffs!”, “We Served the Motherland
but the Motherland Forgot About Us”.
Four pickets were organised in Novgorod: YABLOKO’s activists
distributed leaflets and collected signatures under the address
to the Russian President. The residents of the city even queued
at one of the pickets located in the centre of the city so
that to put their signatures under an address to Dmitry Medvedev
demanding to change the system of calculation of military
pensions.
About 400 people participated in YABLOKO’s action in Kostroma.
YABLOKO’s Astrakhan branch conducted three pickets out of
four, due to the ban of the local authorities on one of the
locations.
In Murmansk the rally was conducted with participation of
the military pensioners from other cities – Severomorsk, Gadzhiyevo,
Vidyaevo and Visokoye. One of YABLOKO’s slogans in Murmansk
was the demand to provide housing for the military.
A picket in Ryazan is conducted today.
Rallies also took place in Cheboksary, Kalinigrad and Moscow
on February 23.
In all the cities the citizens put their signatures under
an address to the President with a demand to change the present
system of calculation of military pensions.
See also:
Picket against scanty pensions
accrued to the military pensioners held by the Ministry of
Defence. Press Release, January 20, 2010
YABLOKO’s leader
and General Major arrested for picketing in protection of
military pensioners’ rights. Press Release, February 23,
2010
Human
Rights
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