“Transportation Ministry offers to introduce a new norm stipulating for criminal responsibility for creation obstacles to rail and road traffic. Transportation Ministry proposes to punish those who blockade the roads with a fine of at least 100 thousand roubles or imprisonment for up to 2 years. The law amendments designed under supervision of Vice-Premier Sergey Ivanov, were included in the agenda of State Duma for discussion on last December 28. While commenting on the amendments, State Duma deputy said that they had nothing to do with the transport security. To his opinion, the Government is not convinced that the crisis has ended, and it is trying to resolve the problem of protest actions by such means.”

Grani.ru

Russian Government is quite concerned that the country’s citizens are becoming increasingly aware of their human rights and trying to use them more and more actively. At the moment, it is the blockading of transport hubs that is allocated the most significant role. With the interruption of traffic on the main railroads or motor highways, considerable attention to the action is paid not only on the part of local community, but reaction follows also in the foreign countries. The most striking examples of protest actions in 2009 include demonstration of Pikaleva (Leningrad Region) citizens against the city construction company, as well as against the liquidation of gas and heat supply companies in the city. One more characteristic example of interruption of traffic on the federal highway was related to the action of 150 citizens from Kafatnichky Village (Tomsk Region) who blockaded the Tomsk – Novosibirsk federal highway in the protest against extraction of gravel in the area excluding the possibility of cattle breeding for the local population. Russians’ creativity is absolutely surprising, considering the variations of restrictions to the freedom of speech. This time federal law is implemented for limiting the eventual locations and forms of protest.