A protest rally accompanied by a concert led by environmental activists fighting to save the pristine Khimki forest north of Moscow had initially been approved by the police and the city authorities. However, according to Radio Free Europe, this decision was later reversed so that only the rally could take place.

According to Moscow Times some 1,500 police officers were present at Pushkin Square in central Moscow. Here, a crowd of more than 3,000 people had gathered to denounce the authorities’ plan to build a federal highway through the centuries-old Khimki forest. The proposed highway would pass through the 1,000-hectare forest, connecting Moscow with St. Petersburg, reports the Digital Journal.

The huge police presence blocked msucians and music equipment from entering the concert area, but rock singer Yuri Shevchuk defied the concert ban and managed to perform two songs without amplification only supported by an acoustic guitar and a determined crowd.

"We musicians wanted to put on a concert to defend nature, the fields, forests, and Lake Baikal. The Khimki forest has become a symbol for everyone," Shevchuk told the local and international press after the concert.

Shevchuk, lead singer of veteran rock band DDT, is locally known to be critical of the authorities. He made headlines in May 2010 when he openly criticized Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a televised exchange at a charity dinner in St. Petersburg.