The petition calling for the resignation of Orsk Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa, published on Change.org on April 8th, has garnered 3,000 signatures.
The author of the petition blames Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa for the flooding of Orsk. According to them, most Orsk residents "were already unhappy with the Mayor’s work", and now Kozupitsa "simply cannot escape responsibility for the flood."
"My father’s house is submerged, as are the houses of my neighbors. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon; many have paid for their homes with sweat and blood," reads the petition.
The author of the appeal believes that Kozupitsa and other officials made errors while building the dam, which subsequently affected "hundreds of thousands of people" who were not warned of the possible breach. The authorities are obliged to rebuild the infrastructure and then resign, says the author.
About 7,000 houses in Orsk were flooded after the dam breach on April 5th. At least 5 people died, and over 12,000 were evacuated. Orsk residents have been without water supplies for 9 days and must queue for their daily share of water.
Today, the Anti-Corruption Foundation* discovered that the Orsk Mayor’s family recently moved to Dubai. His son bought an apartment there for 33 million rubles.