November 8, 2011– On today’s Moscow Times Opinion page, the co-founder of Russia’s Party of People’s Freedom blasted the Medvedev government and the state oil company, Gazprom, for violating national laws and international accords. Vladimir Ryzhkov also hinted at corruption in the government’s project to build a natural gas pipeline across the Ukok Plateau, despite its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ryzhkov served as a State Duma representative from 1993 to 2007 and currently hosts a political radio talk show.
“The Gazprom pipeline through the Ukok Plateau could become the largest, most expensive and most environmentally damaging white elephant in history,” Ryzhkok wrote. “ Beijing officials claim that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally insists on the pipeline through Altai at almost every meeting with Chinese leaders. Could it be that Putin and his colleagues who have top positions in the gas sector have the most to gain from the project?”
Read the complete article here.
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