The defenders of Losiny Ostrov have been denied permission to hold a picket in Mytishchi, a town near Moscow.

The Mytishchi administration has refused to approve a picket by defenders of Losiny Ostrov National Park. The organisers published the officials’ response in the “They Say Mytishchi” group on VKontakte.

The reason for the refusal was the “coronavirus” restrictions imposed in 2020 by the governor of Moscow Region, which ban public events in the region.

The picket was planned for 20 July outside the Yauza cultural centre.

• Defenders of Losiny Ostrov are protesting against the construction of a road through the park. At the construction site, they have held public gatherings: for example, they tried to bury the road “since works can apparently be carried out without permission”; they organised a picnic and played badminton. On 7 July, a brawl broke out between the private security company guarding the contractor and activists who were trying to stop the construction equipment.