Press Release, 24.02.2018

Presidential candidate of Russia Grigory Yavlinsky took part in a rally against in-fill construction in Troparyovo-Nikulino district of Moscow. The Moscow city authorities plan to build three high-rise buildings in the district in Nikulinskaya Street that will increase the burden on the social infrastructure in the district, while they promised to build out-patients hospitals, schools and kindergartens.

The meeting took place in the territory of garage cooperative “Temp” which is also subject to development. The Yabloko party has long and consistently supported the residents of the district in their struggle against the developer. So the keynote of the action was the residents’ support for the candidacy of Grigory Yavlinsky at the presidential elections.

The speakers addressed the rally from the improvised tribune – the guardhouse towering above the garages. Municipal deputies from Yabloko told that over the past 15 years the number of residents of Troparyovo-Nikulino has grown by 44,000 people, but not a single new object of social infrastructure was built. Therefore, parents are forced to pay for private kindergartens for their children or take them to other districts, school children have to study in corridors and even in the basement, and there are always long lines to doctors in the only outpatient clinic of the district.

Photo: Sergei Mitrokhin

The garages were subject to raiders’ attacks. The residents managed to oppose the attacks because of the aid of Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the Moscow Yabloko. Now the developer has chosen a different tactic: they buy the garage boxes from their owners at a very low price, offering the latter to buy a place for a vehicle in a multi-storey parking lot under construction at a price many times higher than the compensation.

According to Mitrokhin, Russia has two main problems: the merger of business and government and violation of private property rights. These problems manifest themselves in Troparyovo-Nikulino and hit the residents of the district. Mitrokhin also said that Grigory Yavlinsky was the only presidential candidate who not only realized these problems and openly stated them, but also knew how to solve them.

Grigory Yavlinsky promised to the rally to do everything in his power to help achieve cancellation of the construction and solve the problem with the garages. He already sent the relevant appeal to Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin.

Yavlinsky also stressed that the reason for violation of the residents’ rights was irremovability of power: because of this, corruption flourished and citizens were deprived of their rights.

Grigory Yavlinsky stressed that if in the election millions of people would support another programme, the programme of separating business from government, fight against corruption, creation of a transparent, honest and citizen-dependent government, only then life in Russia would start changing. If millions vote for the alternative to Putin, then anyone who becomes President would listen to these people and do what they say, Yavlinsky said.