Vendors In Russia's Bryansk Protest

BRYANSK (RFE/RL) -- Vendors in the Russian city of Bryansk are protesting against plans to reconstruct the city's central market, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

About 5,000 protesters gathered on Lenin Square in central Bryansk on June 26 and expressed their concerns over the plans, saying the reconstruction would cause an increase in fees.

They also protested the appointment of a person from Moscow to the post of market director.

City officials told the protesters that the market is under reconstruction under a federal plan to eliminate all open markets in Russia by 2010. The demonstration lasted for two hours.