ZHUKOVSKY, Russia -- About 700 protesters gathered in the town of Zhukovsky, near Moscow, on March 7 to protest corruption among the local authorities, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
The protesters accused the authorities of seeking to sabotage a decree by President Dmitry Medvedev on the creation of a National Center for Aircraft Engineering in Zhukovsky.
They said the town officials want instead to establish a special economic zone on the territory of a local aircraft-testing center. Doing so would entail felling a local forest in order to build an access road.
The protesters signed a petition addressed to Medvedev and the Russian government.