Police in Russia's Irkutsk region detained 14 participants in a protest at the ferry crossing connecting Olkhon Island to the mainland, the regional Interior Ministry reported.
On the morning of July 28, more than ten UAZ vehicles blocked the entrance and exit to the MRS–Olkhon crossing. The ferry operator, East Siberian River Shipping Company, temporarily halted service. Traffic was restored about an hour and a half later, according to the independent outlet Meduza.
Police detained the alleged organizer of the action and drew up an administrative protocol for blocking transport communications (Article 20.18 of the Administrative Code). Another 13 drivers received administrative citations for various traffic violations, the ministry said.
Olkhon residents have been protesting since mid-July against a new procedure for boarding the ferry. Previously, locals could show documents with a residence registration to skip the line ahead of tourists. Now, according to residents, officials cite a governor's decree that abolished priority passage for locals. Journalists from the outlet 'People of Baikal' said they could not find such a document.
The Irkutsk region's Transport Ministry said that currently only minibuses and emergency vehicles are allowed to board without waiting. Authorities have promised to develop a mechanism for priority passage for Olkhon residents.
Olkhon is the only inhabited island on Lake Baikal. The ferry is the sole means of reaching the mainland, where hospitals, shops and government offices are located. During the tourist season, waiting times at the crossing have reached up to 24 hours, independent outlets reported. One resident said her daughter-in-law, husband and seven-year-old son spent the entire night in line for the ferry while returning to the island from a hospital.