Russians in the city of Orsk gathered in a rare protest Monday, calling for compensation following the collapse of a dam and subsequent flooding in the Orenburg region near the border with Kazakhstan.
Protests are an unusual sight in Russia where authorities have consistently cracked down on any form of dissent following President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s government declared the situation in flood-hit areas of Orenburg a federal emergency on Sunday, with preparations for possible flooding underway in three other regions, state media reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken with the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as the heads of the Kurgan and Tyumen regions, located in the Ural Mountains area, to discuss the situation and “the need … for early adoption of measures to assist people and their possible evacuation.”
Meanwhile in the Smolensk region in western Russia, part of an overpass collapsed in the town of Vyazma, 233 kilometers (144 miles) west of Moscow, killing one person and injuring several others, Tass said.
The overpass fell onto railway tracks, halting trains along the line towards Belarus and cutting almost 9,000 people off from gas supplies, Tass said, adding that local officials have opened a criminal investigation.
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