Interestingly, the most active truckers’ protests are taking place in Dagestan (a republic in Russia’s North Caucasus). I don’t know exactly why that is. Perhaps it has to do with hidden unemployment in the republic—they understand that if they leave long-haul trucking, they won’t find any other decent work. Or maybe it’s simply a common profession there (they transport fruit and vegetables), combined with local temperament.
(Be sure to watch the video, just to understand once again how quickly that 99% support would evaporate in a free election.)
Be that as it may, the fact is that the motorcade to Moscow has been announced specifically in Dagestan. Here is a detailed and interesting report from Novaya Gazeta.
The idea of a march is the right one, but of course it shouldn’t be coming only from Dagestan—it should come from every region of the country. I’m sure that would lead to the legal or de facto shutdown of Platon (Russia’s truck toll system). As I already wrote, nobody needs this damn thing except Rotenberg.
Here TV Rain reports, citing Rosavtodor (Russia’s federal road agency), that in its first five days of operation it collected 191 million rubles (about $3 million at the time). It’s a laughable sum—it won’t make the roads any better—but it is forcing drivers to take out loans (!!) just to pay Rotenberg’s Platon. That’s also in TV Rain’s report.
By the way, take note of this remarkable fact: that same deputy, Fyodorov, who addressed the truckers (already half a million views) and accused “national traitors” of passing the Platon law on Obama’s orders, actually voted for the law himself, as Vlad Naganov found out.
Yes, one more thing about the Rotenbergs. I really liked this passage in *Novaya Gazeta*:
Dear representatives of truckers’ initiative groups, participants in specialized forums, and anyone else who is able to spread information in this community, please write to us at fbk@fbk.info
We will gladly prepare simple, easy-to-understand leaflets explaining who the Rotenbergs are. The Anti-Corruption Foundation knows a great deal about them.
And let me remind you that the first post anyone interested in the question “why should I have to pay Rotenberg?” ought to read is here: