Goodbye Russia: A generation packs its bags

[Deleted]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-42431009

Russia's leading environmental activist is one of more than a million people - many of them young and well-educated - who have packed their bags and left the country in recent years, writes the BBC's Lucy Ash. Russian even has a word for the phenomenon, "poravalism".

"Do I feel homesick?" says Evgenia Chirikova. "Not really. Lots of people here speak my language. They are friendly, energetic and curiously polite. I'm living in the Russia of my dreams!"

She's talking about Estonia, her home for the last two-and-a-half years - a refuge from the persecution she faced as an environmental campaigner and an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Her career as an activist began 11 years ago, when Chirikova and her family were walking through the Khimki forest - a former Tsarist hunting ground filled with ancient oak trees, wild boar and rare butterflies.

"There were red crosses painted on several oaks and birches. I wondered why these perfectly healthy trees needed to be chopped down."

Khimki was a protected forest, the "green lungs" of Moscow. Chirikova and her husband, Mikhail, had deliberately moved to the area from the traffic-clogged city centre, in order to be close to it.

On her return from the picnic, Chirikova got on the phone and alerted the authorities to what she had seen. She had assumed that a rogue company was trying to bend the rules, so she was astonished to discover officially sanctioned plans for a £5bn ($6.7bn) highway that would slice through the protected forest even though there were alternative, less environmentally damaging routes.

Officials at the Ministry of Natural Resources and the State Committee for Nature Protection assured her that the decision had been approved by the president himself - and later, as prime minister, Vladimir Putin signed a decree changing the forest's protected status to allow for "transport and infrastructure".

Chirikova suspected the real reason for allowing the road to go through the forest was to open up land near the capital to developers.

She left her engineering job to organise public opposition. The first demonstration of her group, Save Khimki Forest, brought 5,000 people on to the streets - one of the largest environmental protests in Russian history - and gathered more than 50,000 signatures. Her crusade convinced the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, major financial backers of the highway, to withdraw funding.

More in link but honestly can not say I am surprised

[Blamblam41]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-42431009



More in link but honestly can not say I am surprised

Hey guys, look. It's America. Except young people don't have the financial fluidity to just up and move.

[Independent voter]

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A half million Russians are living and working in the US. I think one of the founders of Google was a Russian immigrant.

We'll take these people.

[Deleted]

The better educated Russians (and East Europeans too) in the tech sector often do very well in Western countries, where they are in high demand because locals mostly get useless degrees.

My experience with them is that they have a sharp mind, iron focus and they are actually very productive.

[Deleted]

My experience with them is that they have a sharp mind, iron focus and they are actually very productive.

they sure will compensate well for those things you lack

[Deleted]

they sure will compensate well for those things you lack

Someone call the burns unit.

[Bronan]

Russia stronk. Russian even stronker without these people.

There, I said it before Shalcker comes into the thread.

[Witchblade77]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-42431009



More in link but honestly can not say I am surprised

I am mildly surprised that its Estonia of all places. Baltics that were once USSR republics notoriously hate anything or anyone Russian. then again, it could be the enemy of my enemy effect (and aforementioned hatred/disdain/etc? is basically the main reason why we immigrated from Latvia to US, so its not just me talking on hearsay, Estonia WAS the mildest of the 3 though, when it came to all things anti Russia)

[dacoolist]

Any law biding citizens from MotherRussia are always welcome in the US <3

bigUP

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Someone call the burns unit.

Someone either needs a hug or a tub of aloe

[Kapadons]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-42431009



More in link but honestly can not say I am surprised

What you quoted has about fuck all to do with the title. It’s a few sentences about it then Babbles on about some hippie trying to save a forest.

Edit - I see why. Have to read like half the original story before it starts talking about what it titles. Who is this journalist ? Where is the editor? This is third rate article writing

[Cosmic Janitor]

I would offer a bed to some hot russian chicks, but I know from others who did that this can backfire easily .

[Zelk]

If only they had a government that cared about anything other than money and imperialism...

[Sturmbringe]

I would offer a bed to some hot russian chicks

Very bad idea.

[slime]

they sure will compensate well for those things you lack

And yet he is the boss making decisions and hiring those people.. if he chooses to.
Now get back to cleaning your toilets.

[derpkitteh]

If only they had a government that cared about anything other than money and imperialism...

not like that of the UK or US is different in that regard. the difference is that ours does it better.

they're welcome here in the US as far as i'm concerned, as long as it's not criminals and they come legally.

[Zelk]

not like that of the UK or US is different in that regard. the difference is that ours does it better.

they're welcome here in the US as far as i'm concerned, as long as it's not criminals and they come legally.

I was talking about the soviet union but okay

[Blobfish]

Oh Great.. lets welcome more Russian "Sleeper" agents to the West.

Doesn't the CIA have its hands full already chasing Terrorists

[derpkitteh]

I was talking about the soviet union but okay

well i mean, the government of the US certainly only really cares to enrich itself. it just realized the secret to permanently enriching yourself is not driving your country in the shithole, but keeping the little minions happy.

though the republicans seem to be growing tired of the facade.

[Trassk]

I would offer a bed to some hot russian chicks, but I know from others who did that this can backfire easily .

same here, russian man though.

[Deleted]

What you quoted has about fuck all to do with the title. It’s a few sentences about it then Babbles on about some hippie trying to save a forest.

Edit - I see why. Have to read like half the original story before it starts talking about what it titles. Who is this journalist ? Where is the editor? This is third rate article writing

yea thats the BBC passing of opinion pices as news since when ever the fuck it became private company that still gets our tax money.
i wish the Uk would make its fucking mind up what it wants to be free market or socialist pick one because having private train company on public owned lines and nhs that some thing you have to pay for and some you don't and stuff to bursting with leeching middle management and a private media company with a royal charter to collect license and tax is just FUCKING STUPID !!!

private or public dont care just pick on and go with it all the way this half and half crap is strangling this country grrrr