“Among the demands are the resignation of the Russian government, the revision of all transport taxes,” says Alla Beg, head of the Union of Freight Carriers and Entrepreneurs of the Volgograd Region.
Voronezh: “We were told, wherever we stand, we will be covered with gravel everywhere”
On March 27, a strike began in Voronezh. Eleven cars stood on the side of the road, after which the police drove them all night from one place to another. According to OVD-Info, four people were detained on charges of stealing car batteries, but the truckers were released the same day.
Dagestan: "Kill these freak truckers!"
Since March 27, truckers have been on strike in Dagestan (in Khasavyurt, Levashinsky and Karabudakhkent regions). This action is the largest in the country in terms of the number of participants: according to various sources, from 1,000 to 4,000 people take part in it.
Here are truckers in Dagestan. Open the photo in full. They ask you to convey that they will not disperse anywhere. And that they are going to strike peacefully. pic.twitter.com/Uiu6xh190m
— Arseniy Vesnin (@ars_ves) March 31, 2017
On March 31, in the village of Manas, up to two hundred fighters of the Russian Guard and OMON surrounded the protesters. “The National Guard is standing 50 meters from us in full combat gear and with weapons. A total of one hundred people, along with them five large cars and more than ten cars of the traffic police, ”said the participant in the action, the driver Abdula Abdulaev. According to him, 600 protesters have been planning to leave for Makhachkala for several days, but the road is blocked.
— Ruslan Magomedov (@akhalchi) April 6, 2017
Soon the government of Dagestan that Akaev does not hold any positions there, but on Akaev's Facebook in the column "work" it is still indicated that he works as an adviser to the minister.
Yekaterinburg: “We think they brought a jammer”
Since March 27, 15 cars have been on strike in Yekaterinburg. On April 7, truckers reported that their cell phone signals were being blocked.
Irkutsk: "Irkutsk vs. Platon"
Andrey Lukin, coordinator of the association "Trucker" in Tatarstan:
A series of meetings at the level of the republican State Council is being prepared in Tatarstan, where we will discuss the topic of toll roads. A deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation introduced a legislative initiative to abolish the Platon system. As far as I know, other regions want to do the same. The Plato system proved to be untenable.
Last week, the court fined me 10,000 rubles for participating in a rally on a highway near Kazan. I was found guilty, although the police did not provide any evidence that the event was unauthorized. The judge at the end apologized to us, apparently for the decision, and ran away. We will appeal to the Supreme Court and the ECtHR.
On March 27, truckers began an indefinite all-Russian strike of road carriers. One of the reasons was the increase in the tariffs of the Platon system, which should come into force on April 15. According to representatives of the Association of Carriers of Russia, 80 Russian regions joined the protest. More than 250 administrative cases have already been filed against the participants of the strike under articles on violation of the procedure for holding mass events and resistance to the police. Despite this, the protesters promise to continue the strike until the authorities cancel the Platon system.
Video from the press conference of the All-Russian Association of Truckers in the Novaya Gazeta media center
The strike has been going on for two weeks now, and judging by reports from distant regions and small towns, in some places people are already beginning to experience its consequences. In small brick-and-mortar stores, the assortment of goods is decreasing and prices are rising. Entrepreneurs also complain that since the beginning of the strike the prices for transportation have risen sharply. Well, the authorities decided to ignore the actions and demands of truckers. Officials make contact with drivers only in those regions where the situation is particularly acute.
Everything you need to know about the new wave of trucker protests is in this post.
WHAT DO TRUCKERS WANT?
The main demand of truckers is to cancel the Platon system. By strikes and strikes, drivers want to get attention from the authorities and start negotiations on this topic. The reason for the strike was the increase in Platon's tariffs, which should come into force on April 15. Initially, they were going to increase the fee by 2 times, but due to the indignation of drivers and entrepreneurs, it was decided to raise the fare on federal highways by only 25%. But this option did not suit the truckers.
Higher tolls on federal highways make truckers who work for small and medium-sized businesses economically meaningless. Private carriers complain that the Platon collection and other transport taxes add up to more than the profits of their enterprises. Let me remind you that the money collected by "Platon" should go to the repair and maintenance of federal highways. The logic is this: truckers break up the roads with their heavy trucks, so they have to pay for the fare so that Rosavtodor has something to repair the pits. But truckers, in response, declare that their cars are specially designed to carry large loads and they do not cause any damage to normal roads. But if the roads are not built according to GOST (as in Russia), then they will be covered with pits, regardless of who will drive on them.
HOW DO THEY PROTEST?
In most regions, protests and strikes are peaceful and quiet. This time, no one promises to go to Moscow in a convoy, blocks roads, attacks Platon's offices, and is not going to unsanctioned rallies. Instead, truckers simply do not go on flights. Some leave their cars in garages and go to work as taxi drivers, others gather in groups of several dozen heavy trucks and arrange demonstrative parking on the roadsides.
In Yekaterinburg, for example, only a couple of dozen cars fit in the place agreed with the authorities for the strike. Drivers kindle fires and cook their own food on fire, food is brought to them by families and caring local residents. The protesters do not drink on principle, so as not to discredit the protest. The police are watching them closely, constantly holding preventive conversations with one of the protesters and asking them to remove all slogans and flags from the cars.
Several dozen cars are also participating in the strike near Volgograd. The drivers set up a trailer for negotiations, brought there folding tables and chairs, a gas cylinder, a stove, a kettle, dishes and food supplies. They plan to stand here until the authorities pay attention to the problem and begin negotiations on the abolition of Plato.
About 20 more cars are on the Moscow highway near St. Petersburg. The demands put forward are the same: to start negotiations on the abolition of Plato. In the meantime, drivers can only patiently wait for the counter step of the authorities. They promise that they will stand until the end. In their opinion, if Plato is not canceled now, then in the future the damage from it will become even greater. Drivers say that they already have meager salaries and essentially have nothing to lose. But if they massively leave the industry, then this will become a big problem for the state.
Three dozen cars are standing near Engels in the Saratov region. The composition of the strike participants is changeable, the drivers regularly replace each other. When asked why they are standing here, the protesters answer like this: “We want people passing by to notice the stopped trucks, become interested and open the Internet, because the TV does not talk about us.”
And so in many cities of Russia. But you need to understand that these are groups of 20-30 people - far from all the protesters. Judging by the reports of the focal points in various cities, there are thousands more drivers who are also suffering losses from the Platon, supporting the demands of the protesters and refusing to take flights until the authorities start a dialogue about canceling the system.
WHAT IS IN DAGESTAN?
The strike of Dagestan truckers has become the most massive in Russia. According to the Dagestan coordination center, these days 99% of all cars refused to go to work. Drivers complain that the authorities do not support them in any way, and that they have nothing to feed their families. Many of them went to the federal highway "Kavkaz" to protest with their appearance and presence. Police detachments and fighters of the Russian Guard in armored personnel carriers are on duty at the scene. At the same time, the Dagestan police sympathize with the truckers, but because of the fear of losing their jobs, they do not take their side.
The protest began with a motor rally, in which about 600 cars took part. After the run, the deputy head of the Ministry of Transport of Dagestan met with the protesters, but he said that the regional authorities would not be able to help them in the abolition of Platon. The truckers continued their strike, and when they tried to arrange a second run, the police and the National Guard blocked their path with armored personnel carriers and barbed wire. When asked to go home and stop the protest, the drivers refused.
Dagestan truckers say they have no leader and only went on strike because they were tired of working at a loss. Despite this, the police have already detained the chairman of the Association of Carriers of Dagestan, Rustam Mallagomedov. After a press conference at the Novaya Gazeta media center, he was taken without further ado to the police department and soon released without charge.
WHAT DO THE AUTHORITIES SAY?
Local officials react to protests and strikes very negatively. For example, in the Saratov region, the Ministry of Transport pointedly stated that "if the position of freight carriers remains unchanged, it is unlikely that better times will come for Russian roads." Parking places for heavy trucks are approved by local authorities only in deserted and remote places. At the same time, truckers are openly asked to protest so that no one can see or hear them. In most media and on television, the actions of drivers are not covered in any way.
High-ranking officials do not enter into direct contact with truckers. Apparently, the regional authorities decided that if they close their eyes to the problem, then it will disappear by itself. The federal authorities also do not react to the actions of truckers. Only the Communist Party of the Russian Federation came out openly in support of the drivers. Party deputy Valery Rashkin, like a year ago, again meets with truckers and promises them to convey their demands to the president.
WHAT DO ORDINARY PEOPLE SAY?
Many people reacted with sympathy to the actions of truckers. They believe that the protesting drivers are now defending the interests of all Russians. After all, the increase in Platon's fees will definitely affect the price of transported goods, which means that not only drivers, but also consumers will have to pay for them. In the regions, people help the striking truckers in every possible way: they bring warm clothes, blankets, food and clean water to their parking lots. And in St. Petersburg yesterday even
We continue the chronicle of the All-Russian strike of truckers
DAGESTAN. Protest footage appeared in Derbent.
PETERSBURG. Andrey Bazhutin, the leader of the truckers' union, was released from arrest. He stated that he was not going to stop the protests.
TYUMEN. Truckers came up with a prearranged signal to express solidarity with the strike.
"We invite all our supporters passing by the columns of the strikers to slow down and turn on the emergency gang. It is important for the strikers to see how many people are on their side,"- say the people of Tyumen.
The protest in Tyumen is taking place on the bypass road, more than 50 trucks take part in it.
CHITA. The protest action continues.
ULAN-UDE. Video of the strike:
DAGESTAN, MANAS.The movement of trucks through Dagestan is completely blocked, truckers say. From the regional government promised to come to negotiate with the protesters.
Four trucks of the strikers were damaged at night. A bumper and front wheel were torn off from one car, windshields were smashed at three more trucks , reports OVD-info.
March 31.
DAGESTAN, MANAS. The army failed to disperse the truckers, the protest continues.
SARATOV. The strike continues in Engels, next to the steelworks plant. The police are nearby, but do not interfere. "The weather is just not happy. It's good that caring people drive up, help, bring water, tea, bread," say the strikers.
Truckers are being persecuted and accused of collaborating with the State Department. Video of radio "Freedom":
DAGESTAN. Fresh photo from the place of the strike in Manas.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD. Truckers remain on the M7 highway, they have just moved to the turn to Dzerzhinsk. The traffic police drew up protocols for three protesters, in connection with which they plan to apply to the prosecutor's office.
"One of the inspectors drew up a protocol against three drivers because their cars were allegedly standing on the roadway outside the settlements, although they were standing on the side of the road. On Monday, we plan to file an application with the prosecutor's office with a request to take prosecutorial response measures against this employee," truckers said.
DAGESTAN.
There was a video of night arson and protests in Dagestan.
As Ruslan Magomedov, one of the truckers on strike in Manas, told Activatika, today the carriers were going to hold a Manas-Makhachkala rally, but they met resistance from the police. In the morning, the security forces blocked all exits from Manas to the highway leading to the Dagestan capital, thus preventing truckers from holding a rally. Magomedov noted that the action, most likely, was thwarted. According to him, more than a thousand trucks were supposed to take part in the rally. At the congress, employees of the Russian Guard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as armed military personnel are on duty at the highway.
Photos and videos from the place:
The truckers climbed onto the truck in protest.
CHITA. The police tried to persuade the protesters to disperse at the lapel to Irkutsk, and also did not allow new cars to pass to them. The nearby store where they bought food closed. However, after the visit of a State Duma deputy to the truckers' parking lot, these problems were removed.
Dozens of trucks and more than a hundred cars continue to participate in the action. The police became smaller.
KHABAROVSK. Truckers from Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk and Sakhalin delivered about 50 trucks near the city, on the Komsomolsk-Khabarovsk highway, between Topolevo and Mirny. They are not going to leave.
“We believe that Platon is a corrupt system that charges us for nothing. Why should we feed an army of people who have done nothing for us? the entire population and small cars will be driven there. We believe that this is unacceptable," strikers say.
KARACHAYEV-CHERKESIAN. The action in Cherkessk continues for the third day, about 100 truckers from different cities of the republic participate in it. The police don't interfere.
IRKUTSK. On the outskirts of the city, on the Moskovsky tract, near a gas station, a "strike camp" was organized, in which about 100 drivers participate, and from different regions (Dagestan, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Krasnodar Territories). The action will continue until "Plato" is canceled, the participants say.
A photo
DAGESTAN. There is urgent information. A column of protesters in the city of Manas
South Ural truckers continue to strike. They are supported by other residents of the region.
As Novyi Den has already reported, the all-Russian indefinite strike began on March 27. The next day, Chelyabinsk truckers began preparations for a long-term picket on the section of the Kurgan-Troitsk highway. On April 1, a concerted protest started.
According to Sergey Malevsky, coordinator of the Association of Carriers of Russia, on Saturday, more than 100 trucks gathered at the picket site 3 kilometers from the Oktyabrsky settlement on the Kurgan-Troitsk highway. Today, April 3, there are about 70 of them, but the protesters keep coming.
Truckers continue to insist on the fulfillment of all the demands put forward at the rally on March 27:
1. Complete cancellation of the Platon system or its preservation only for transit foreign carriers.
2. Abolition of transport tax (because carriers are already paying tax - excise in the fuel charge).
3. Construction of an adequate infrastructure for resting drivers on the highways, especially in Siberia.
4. Correction of norms in the field of regulation and control of the weight and size parameters of vehicles (TC).
5. Providing carriers with a justification for calculating the excise tax on fuel.
6. The resignation of the government and the expression of no confidence in the president, as the guarantor of the constitutional rights of citizens, the widespread violation of which has recently acquired a frightening scale.
“There is also support from passing truckers,” says Sergey Malevsky. - Not only South Urals. We are supported by drivers from other regions and even CIS countries.” To prove his words, trucks and cars passing along the highway honk their horns as they pass by the picket, which stretches for hundreds of meters on both sides of the highway.
Residents of the surrounding towns and villages help the strikers in any way they can
Strict order is observed in the camp of the picketers. According to the organizer, a "dry law" operates on the territory of the strike camp. Possible provocations are suppressed quickly and clearly. Apparently, both the discipline of the strikers throughout Russia, and the support of the residents, which turned out to be a surprise even for the truckers themselves, did not please the authorities, and attempts are already being made to either discredit the strikers (by tradition, writing them down as part of the "fifth column"), or simulate the negotiation process. Thus, the Russian government announced that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met with representatives of truckers.
Medvedev met with crooks not related to the strikers
However, sensing the mood of the carriers who have taken to the road, the authorities begin to give up. According to Sergey Malevsky, in Dagestan and Central Russia the government is already forced to negotiate with the strikers.
"New Day - Chelyabinsk"