Russia: Butovo Land Dispute  Global Voices Online Friday, June
23, 2006  The recent land dispute between Moscow city
authorities and residents of Butovo, a suburb just outside the
capital's beltway (MKAD), included such dramatic elements as a
tent camp, bulldozers and riot police. Ilya Yashin (LJ user
yashin), leader of the youth wing of the Russian social-liberal
party Yabloko, writes about the incident and shares his thoughts
on how the standoff could've been avoided. The post (RUS)
generates a discussion of the local officials' ways.   Moscow
authorities have decided to replace a village outside MKAD with
high-rise apartment blocks. People living in the small village
houses were offered to move to the city concrete buildings. They
refused because they were being moved to tiny, one-room
apartments, and, in addition to this, they were being deprived
of the chance to work on the land (for some, it's the only way
to make a living). The officials are filing lawsuits, winning
them and sending eviction officers w