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were bussed in to monitor the crowd, but despite being unsanctioned,
the protests were tolerated by the authorities and allowed to proceed unmolested.
In the last month the size of the crowds has reduced and the supporters of
the Communist Party of Russia are predominant, carrying Soviet-era flags and slogans as well as singing Soviet- era songs, according to reports.
The size and the longevity of the protests in Khabarovsk had surprised
spread to other Russian regions.
And they come at a time when Belarus has also erupted into mass protests,
a story the Russian population is following closely. Indeed, the red
and white flags of Belarus have appeared amongst the protesters
in Khabarovsk.
However, so far there is no sign of other regions protesting in support of Khabarovsk, and the Kremlin has been very careful not to inflame the situation. The decision to send in the OMON this weekend is clearly
a calculation by the Kremlin that the protests are losing their momentum
“The protests have been a weekly occurrence for over three months following the arrest
of the popular governor Sergei Furgal”
observers, as did the Kremlin’s obvious helplessness to prevent them. A replacement governor was sent to the city, also from the LDPR, but he was rejected out of hand by the residents.
The demonstrations have been closely watched for signs that they might
and have lost the support of the wider population. The risk the Kremlin
runs is in the light of excessive police brutality it runs the risk of re-igniting the protests and fuelling even more passionate anti-Kremlin sentiments.
metres of the production facilities
and warehouse of the Mukachevo ski factory, Ukraine's emergencies ministry announced.
The factory is owned by the legendary Austria's Fischer Sports GmbH company which pioneered the mass production of skis and had a big part in turning the sport into a mass market phenomena.
According to the ministry, over
100 firefighters were involved in extinguishing the fire, while there were no deaths or injuries. The agency didn't reveal the cause of the blaze.
The Mukachevo factory in the Zakarpattia region was founded in 1944 but the Fischer family became involved in the 1980s, lead by the family’s patriarch Joseph Fischer who
Fire nearly destroys legendary Fischer ski factory in Ukraine
Vladimir Kozlov in Moscow
The Fischer ski factory in Ukraine must be one of the country’s best kept secrets. Set up in the 40s and employing over 1,000 people, it produces about 60% of all the skis and snowboards that ride the mountains of Europe
each season, and many other pieces of equipment to boot, not that most punters are aware as they don't carry a “made in Ukraine” sticker on them.
Now disaster has struck. A fire burned almost half of the factory, by far
Europe’s largest ski manufacturer, which is located in Mukachevo in the Carpathian mountains in western Ukraine.
Firefighters battled the blaze on the 20-hectare site. Thankfully they saved the main warehouse where most of the finished product is stored, but much
of the production lines were destroyed.
On October 12, a three-hour, pre-dawn fire started that burned 9,000 square
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