Two years ago, a group of Siberian families who were fed up with the horrible pollution from nearby open pit coal mines made a plea to come to Canada, a place where “the snow is still white.” We went back to them and discovered not only were their pleas for help ignored, some of those who instigated the video were hounded out of town, and eventually out of Russia. This story highlights one of the most discouraging aspects of the relationship between Russia’s government and its people – the absence of trust and a feeling of futility by many people in pushing for their government to help them. In the Siberian city of Kiselyovsk, we found a city of 100,000 people where the majority are living in horrendous conditions – and yet, officials drag their feet and act like the problems of pollution and ecological devastation are their fault. It’s striking to constantly meet Russians who feel so utterly abandoned and disconnected from their leadership. The photo shows our cameraman Dima Kozlov nexts to one of nine open mines that surround the city.
