"Fire & lock up"

Dam burst in Russia: protest against the authorities

(Bild: kameraOne/OSTOROZHNO NOVOSTI)

Dam failures have led to devastating floods in several regions of Russia. In the hard-hit city of Orsk, anger has erupted against the authorities, with residents gathering for a demonstration (see video above) - a rare sight in authoritarian Russia.

Hundreds of people demonstrated in front of the town hall on Monday and accused the authorities of failure. "Shame! Shame!", they chanted, as the pro-Kremlin portal "Ostoroshno, Novosti" reported. The residents criticized the fact that the dam, for which according to official information a lot of money was spent, did not withstand the flood.

Those responsible "should be fired and imprisoned"
"People are now taking a risk to help each other. No matter what other disputes there are. We can't say that about our administration. Not only does it have to bear the shame, it should be fired and locked up," said an angry young man at the demonstration.

Demonstrators and police confronted each other in front of the town hall in Orsk.(Bild: kameraOne/OSTOROZHNO NOVOSTI)

Compensation promised
The mayor and the governor of the Orenburg region, Denis Pasler, finally met for talks with a delegation of outraged citizens who demanded compensation. According to the state agency TASS, the governor promised residents who had to leave their homes because of the flood a compensation payment of 10,000 roubles (just under 100 euros) per month for a total of six months.

The anger in Orsk was mixed with mockery of the Russian Civil Defense Minister Alexander Kurenkov: he drove through the flooded streets in a pompous flood boat to get an idea of the situation, while the residents had to help themselves with kayaks and rubber boats.

The flood peak has now passed Orsk and will remain in the region around the regional capital Orenburg until Wednesday of next week, according to the Ministry of Civil Defense. According to the Orenburg city administration, the water reached a level of 8.93 meters on Monday morning - a level of 9.30 meters is considered critical. The mayor said that the situation would only get worse over the next two days.

Record floods
Deputy Civil Defense Minister Viktor Jazuzenko said that this is a record flood. Never before had such a high water level been recorded on the Ural River. President Vladimir Putin ordered the formation of a special government commission to deal with the consequences of the flood.

Man drowned
Not only the area around Orenburg is affected. The Ministry of Civil Defense warned of a flood risk in Tyumen in western Siberia. There, too, preparations are being made for evacuations. In Kurgan in south-western Siberia, a partial state of emergency was declared because the River Suer overflowed its banks there. In the village of Sekisovo, a man drowned after trying to cross the river via a footbridge despite a ban, according to the local authorities. The man had been drunk.

The governor of the region called on all residents of villages near the Tobol River to get to safety. "Don't wait for the water to come. It comes at night and unexpectedly, becoming more and more, in the form of a high wave," the politician warned on Telegram.