Kharkov municipal authorities proceed with the scandal deforestation of our city. Under different pretexts, they ceded vast areas in Kharkov Forest called Lesopark, Gorky park, Artem park and the whole area of Zustrich park to business corporations and individuals. Moreover, this squandering process is constantly gathering pace. The latest decisions of the city authorities have passed all bounds of political cynicism:

First, the decision to devastate a substantial part of Shevchenko Garden under a ridiculous pretext of building the Kushnarev Library without providing any books for it and with protests on the part of the Kushnarev family. Furthermore, the city has the Korolenko Region Scholarly Library that still remains in the emergency state. The real aim of the ‘library’ construction is to build another business-center in the city heart on the money of the Donetsk businessman Kolesnikov.

Second, the brutal devastation of the vast Lesopark territories under the pretext of building a road from Sumskaya street to Novgorodskaya street. To begin with, Novgorodskaya street already suffers from traffic jams. Besides, this road will create an extremely dangerous triple intersection with Dinamoskaya street and a hazardous intersection in Susmkaya street. Moreover, the construction project envisages building of a ‘tunnel’ under the Children’s Railway. In this case, the Children’s Railway will ‘temporary suspend’ its operations. With notice to the city authorities, Kharkov will simply lose its Children’s Railway.  The aim of this project is apparent: to allocate the great territory of Gorky park and then of the Children’s Railway area for building of ‘elite’ houses and various malls for the same ‘elite’.

In the past days Gorky Park has witnessed a confrontation between the forest defenders and gangsters recruited by the officials to destroy the city wealth. The vandal deforestation which started on May, 20^th was stopped by proponents of numerous NGOs and by common Kharkov dwellers protecting Gorky Park and Lesopark.

Still, hundreds of trees were fallen in the course of the cutting which received no approval from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. In view of this fact, these activities are illegal and constitute a crime.

Kharkov dwellers desperately need recreational zones and fresh air. On the contrary, Kharkov authorities need a chance to steal several dozens of millions allocated for the road construction; they need new lots for cottages, VIP-clubs and private entertainment centers in place of cutdown age-old trees.

Contrary to the officials’ doublespeak, this construction bears no relation to Euro-2012. European countries have distinctly different standards and attitudes to green belts, especially to city parks, while Kharkov green belts, even Gorky Park, do not even have approved legal boundaries.

We demand the City Council and Kharkov Executive Committee to:

1. Cancel the shameful decisions on devastation of a part of Gorky Central Park and Shevchenko Garden.

2. Define the boundaries of all green zones in Kharkov.

3. Impose an absolute and permanent moratorium on any cession of Kharkov green zones and on their destruction under any pretext.

We call to all citizens to protect the nature and our and our children's health.

Please help us to save Kharkov forest and Gorky Park:

Send a letter to:

Acting Kharkov Mayor Gennady Kernes

7 Konstitutcii square, 61200, Kharkov ,Ukraine

 Send a letter to:

President of Ukraine Victor Yanukovich

11 Bankova str.,01220, Kyiv,Ukraine

 Add the following link to your website or blog:

http://www.kharkovforest.com/home/save-kharkov-forest