Of course Kucherena and Svanidze are great. Brave fighters. Fathers of our nation, too. But I want to point out that the initiative group from Yuzhnoye Butovo (a district in Moscow) has been knocking on doors for more than two years already. They have gone literally everywhere. I helped them draft a couple of formal inquiries as far back as last summer. So Kucherena’s overnight vigil today looks rather amusing. And here is the Committee’s old statement on the matter (well, not exactly old—I wrote it when they actually started planning the eviction): The Moscow authorities have no right to evict the residents of Yuzhnoye Butovo from their homes. Attempts to drive the residents of Yuzhnoye Butovo out of their homes can only be described as lawless abuse. Let us recall that, by decision of the Moscow city government, private houses in this area are to be demolished as part of the city’s new housing construction program. Despite repeated attempts by local residents to challenge City Hall’s decision in court, they were unable to obtain judicial protection. Courts at every level sided with the executive authorities. At the same time, the grounds for seizure of land plots for state and municipal needs are established by Article 49 of the Land Code of the Russian Federation. The law does not provide for the seizure, for new housing construction, of a land plot on which there is a residential house in satisfactory technical condition. It is true that the residents of Yuzhnoye Butovo are not the owners of the land plots on which their houses stand. However, as the actual users of the land, in resolving situations of this kind they possess the same rights as owners. We call on the Moscow city prosecutor’s office to intervene in the conflict urgently and defend the lawful rights of the residents of Yuzhnoye Butovo. Of course, the law is entirely on the residents’ side. But I would suggest that the ardent defenders of the Yuzhnoye Butovo residents keep two things in mind: 1. The city has to develop, and it will either expand outward or inward (that is, into our courtyards and green spaces) 2. I personally heard a couple of Yuzhnoye Butovo residents say that they should be paid fair compensation: TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS PER SOTKA OF LAND (100 square meters). Greetings to all champions of justice.