Russian Long-Haul Drivers Strike Still Strong on Day 30

Paul Goble

            Staunton, April 27 – Government-controlled media in Moscow continue to ignore the long-haul drivers’ strike on its 30^th day, and regional outlets report variously that some trucker encampments are growing while others are declining in size. But activists say that those who have left have simply gone home rather than returned to work (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/301751/ and kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/301763/).

            Among the developments of the strike today were the following:

·         An inter-regional movement, Freedom of Movement, was set up in Kazan to coordinate the fight against the Plato fee system (idelreal.org/a/28454836.html).

·         Volgograd residents declared their support for the strike (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/301813/).

·         Novgorod Veliki drivers come out in force to show their strike will continue (news.novgorod.ru/news/156375/).

·         Strikers in Oryol increase in number (istoki.tv/news/people/v-orle-proydet-ocherednoy-miting-dalnoboyshchikov-/).

·         Astrakhan legislature asks Duma to take control of the Plato system (pnp.ru/politics/regiony-prosyat-parlamentskogo-kontrolya-za-platonom.html).

·         Kurgan officials meet to negotiate with strikers (znak.com/2017-04-27/kurganskie_dalnoboychiki_posle_protesta_protiv_platona_vyshli_na_kontakt_s_vlastyu).

·         Chelaybinsk judge rules against government that had charged a striking driver with violating various laws (chelyabinsk.74.ru/text/newsline/292438472466432.html?full=3).

·         Far Eastern Drivers Cooperate with Buryats (deita.ru/news/tourism/27.04.2017/5198222-primorskie-puteshestvennitsy-rasskazali-o-zhizni-v-buryatskom-gorode/).

·         Daghestani drivers announced that they will stage a demonstration tomorrow to protest the failure of the authorities there to take them seriously (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/301763/).

·         Daghestan head Ramazan Abdulatipov sought to play car drivers against truck drivers by suggesting the latter must pay for all the damage their trucks do to highways and that the Plato system is an effective way to do that (chernovik.net/content/lenta-novostey/glava-dagestana-ushcherb-nanosimyy-dalnoboyshchikami-dorogam-dolzhen).