On July 15, residents of Likino-Dulevo, a town near the Russian capital, blocked an access road to a planned new landfill in a forest close to the town.

Activists say some 50 police officers were deployed to the site and, with the aid of the workers of a company that conducts deforestation in the area, violently dispersed the protesters, some of whom were injured.

Nationwide rallies against landfills took place in 30 regions across Russia on February 3, and in recent months more such protests were held in many cities and towns.

With reporting by Dozhd TV