Moscow Authorities Demolish Neighborhood As Residents Look On
Moscow authorities demolish neighborhood as furious residents look on.
MOSCOW, Jan. 27, 2010 -- As the bulldozers roamed through his Moscow neighborhood knocking down homes allegedly built illegally on protected land, Sergei Bobyshev stood his ground, refusing to leave.
"We will fight to the bitter end," Bobyshev told state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
"We" included his pet leopard, Cleopatra, a "very affectionate pet cat" that Bobyshev said he may have to sic on Moscow city officials if they approached his house.
Another man, a retired military officer, reportedly threatened to set himself on fire if his home was touched. He barricaded himself inside alongside neighbors, threatening to pour boiling water on anyone trying to evict them.
A fight is being waged in Russia's capital over some three dozen structures in a rural, residential enclave in western banks of the Moscow River, arresting villagers and starting to knock down the first houses. Residents protested loudly, accusing the city government of evicting them during an abnormally cold
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