The decision about placing of the highway through the forest violates the Russian law ”On the transfer of land or land plots from one category to another”, according to which this transfer of the land of the forestal park would be permitted only when there were no other option for the placement of the highway. In this case, alternatives exist.
Outspoken gangsters are acting against the defenders of the Khimki forest for a long time. So, in 2006, an assassination attempt against journalists of the independent newspaper Khimki "Civil Forum" Mr. Granin and Mr. Slyusarev took place; in 2008 - against the manager of the foundation "Civil Harmony" Mr. Yurov and the chief editor of “Khimkinskaya Pravda” Mr. Beketov. In 2009, the defenders of the Khimki Forest Mr. Parfenov, Mr. Pchelintsev, Mr. Kapyttsev, in 2010 – Mr. Fetisov, in 2011 – Mr. Petin were attacked. As a result of attacks, Beketov, Pchelintsev and Fetisov were crippled. In 2009, the lawyer Markelov, who defended Mikhail Beketov, was murdered. The coder of the newspaper "Civil Harmony" S. Protazanov died after a serie of beating. In 2010, the guards attacked the civic activists. The activist Ms. E. Chirikova survived after an attempt to run her over with a car. On the 23rd of July, the environmentalists were attacked by about 50 people with masks on their faces and Nazi symbols on their clothes. 
However, the law enforcement authorities from the very beginning acted in cooperation with the bandits. So, in April 2007, local police had beaten protesters, who stood up against the barbaric reburial of the remains of soldiers - defenders of Moscow in 1941. In July 2010, peaceful defenders of the forest as well as journalists were detained with the infliction of body injuries by the S.W.A.T. and the riot police.. In August 2010, the riot police detained unprecedented brutally the leader of the defenders of the Khimki Forest Mrs. E. Chirikova in the city centre of Moscow after a press conference near Moscow. 
Lately, S.W.A.T. performed several attacks on environmental activists, grossly and illegally detaining many of them. Four defenders of the Khimki forest were severely beaten while trying to stop illegal logging in the area of the factory "Fakel". In beating the environmentalists, the guards of the CHOP "Vityaz" were involved jointly with the police, as well as unidentified gunmen. 
Instead of meeting their immediate obligations of law enforcement, the police in the city of Khimki detained and beat skilled and law-abiding defenders of the Khimki forest. At the same time, the crimes massively committed against the defenders of the forest - from murder and attempted murder to beatings and robberies - remain uninvestigated for several years now. The urban district of Khimki became a territory in which civil activists every day have to fear for their lives and liberty, the safety of their children and loved ones. The police do not protect the civil society activists and their families from criminals, but prevents their legitimate social activities. 
We call the Russian authorities to take decisive action to protect the civil society in Khimki, to reject the corrupted anti-ecological highway project, as well as to investigate all crimes committed by the gangsters, police and authorities in Khimki against the civil society activists and to punish the perpetrators. 
We call the authorities in the European Union and France, where the company Vinci is registered, to give a legal and moral assessment of the proceedings around the Khimki forest and about the role of representatives of European business in those.
We appeal to the public in Russia and the European Union to support the environmental and civic activists in Russia, now protecting not only Khimki forest, but also the civil rights of all citizens of Russia.
 
  Member of the Steering Committee of the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum
Coordinator of the environmental Working-group of the Forum                            Sergey Simak