The son of the founder of the Buddhist monastery "Geddle Ling" on Mount Kachkanar Mikhail Sannikov threatens criminal liability for cutting down 28 pines and one birch, reports E1.ru.
The incident happened in mid-December, but the administration of the Niphiphipurinsky urban district was submitted to the police only on February 17 - after Buddhists agreed to leave the mountain. The damage was estimated at 80 thousand rubles, the case was initiated under Part 2. ST 260 of the Criminal Code. Maximum punishment - 4 years colonies.
The incident itself occurred on December 19, 2020, when Evraz's guards did not let the Ural truck, which was driving on the mountain of firewood for monks. Buddhists complained that the passage was agreed with Evraz, but in place he refused to pass. According to the police, the "Ural" initially did not have any pass for travel through the checkpoint, and Buddhists brought chainsaws and cut down several dozen trees for a truck reversal.
Sannikov himself wrote a jaw on the obey, truthly confessed in the destruction of 22 trees.
Recall, the conflict between Buddhists and Evraz has been continuing for several years. A stumbling block is the Ling Shembreed Monastery on Mount Kachkanar, which, in turn, is the highest peak of the Middle Urals in the Sverdlovsk region. The monastery was founded in 1995 and became not only the habitat of the monks, but also the point of attraction of numerous tourists. However, in 2006, the Kachkanarsky Mining and Processing Plant (KGOK), which is part of the Evraz group, received a license to develop a self-Kachkanar deposit of titanomagnetite iron ores, on the territory of which the Kachkanar mountain is located. After numerous ships, the monastery was recognized as an illegal construction to be demolished. However, Buddhists refused to leave the mountain, and the bailiffs could not do anything due to the inaccessibility of the buildings.
For Evraz, this project is key: Gusevogorsk deposit is already exhausted, so urgently need to look for him a replacement. In turn, the reserves of ore in the Kachkanarian deposit are estimated at 6.87 billion tons, they are enough for 100 years.
In the fall of 2019, after numerous negotiations, Evraz concluded an agreement with a Buddhist community. Until November 1, 2020, they had to leave the mountain, and the company allocated 26 million rubles for the construction of a new monastery, the land under which local authorities provided. According to the contract, tourists and pilgrims are allowed to visit the mountain on weekends, but from Monday to Thursday there should be no one. In November, it was planned to start explosive work, but the arrangements were torn out: Buddhists stated that Evraz refused to be responsible for the construction while there was no one in them.
Community members asked to provide the ability to duty on the mountain and permanent access to a limited number of their representatives, as well as to include tourists and pilgrims permitted to visit a complex, but also magazine days. They also asked to consolidate the official status of religious structures for the complex - to demolish it will be much more difficult.
However, the authorities and Evraz rejected these proposals. At the entrance to the mountain, the company installed the CAT. Supporters of the community complained that they were kept actually on a siege position.
After an ultimatum, delivered by the regional authorities and Evraz, in early February, Buddhists agreed to leave the mountain.