“Don't push on GAZ”: a protest against sanctions was held at the US Embassy in Russia. VIDEO

About three dozen employees of the GAZ automobile plant, owned by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, came out on a picket against sanctions in the center of Moscow near the US embassy. Since the United States imposed sanctions on several Russian companies in April 2018, their workers have never protested against the decision of the American authorities.

The workers' council of the GAZ group held a picket against American sanctions in the center of Moscow opposite the US embassy building on Novinsky Boulevard. Sanctions may come into force on July 6, if the next delay is not granted, writes Air force.

The protesters first went under the windows of the American Center in Moscow, and then crossed the road through an underground passage and stood in front of the building. They held quality printed posters in their hands.

On the subject: How to buy a used car in the USA and not get burned

The posters bore the slogans “Don’t put pressure on GAZ!”, “Sanctions against GAZ are sanctions against me and my children.” There were also several posters with inscriptions in English: “Sanctions are killing cooperation,” “Save GAZ, save me,” “Sanctions harm us, not Putin. Who are you fighting against?

The protesters were wearing GAS uniform, snow-white caps and scarves with the #SaveGAZ hashtag. They arrived on the same bus.

“I have been working at this enterprise for more than 25 years, I see very well what is going on. Suppliers don't want to work with us. If the sanctions are not lifted, we will lose our jobs,” says plant employee Irina Sarapkina.

Protest participant Maxim Gusev says that the level of localization of production allows GAZ to use 30-50% of imported components: “Tomorrow, if sanctions are introduced, we simply will not be able to work with these partners, and the conveyor will stop.”

On the subject: How best to buy a car: on credit, leasing or cash

“We don’t understand how to continue to live. We don’t have a large machine-building enterprise in the [Nizhny Novgorod] region, we don’t know where to go. The only thing is to go to the market to trade or to the store. We have 40 thousand employees,” says plant employee Sergei Pankov.

The GAZ Work Council was created at the end of May 2019. “This is a timely step in the face of the threat of sanctions,” said the head of the council, Evgeny Morozov, at the time. Council representative Elena Zagustina said that the workers had already tried to meet with US Ambassador Jon Huntsman, but were refused: “Through his deputy, the ambassador wrote: “Please contact your government.”

On June 10, Morozov and Zagustina sent a letter in English to the embassy with a request to lift sanctions, addressed to the US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman. “They said they couldn’t answer at the moment, but they would give an answer after some time,” Morozov said after a short meeting with an embassy representative just outside the gates.

The press service of the US Embassy reminded the BBC that the purpose of the sanctions is to force the Russian authorities to change their behavior in Ukraine, and restrictive measures will remain in force until Russia does this.

In April 2018, the US Treasury Department explained the inclusion of big Russian businessmen and some of their companies in the sanctions list by saying that they are connected with the Russian authorities and must share responsibility for the actions of the Kremlin in Syria and Ukraine, as well as for cyber attacks that Kremlin-related hackers suspect .

On the subject: Why I returned to Moscow after 5 years of living in New York

Oleg Deripaska, who controls the GAZ group, owned a diplomatic passport and represented the interests of the Russian state in several countries, the agency said.

What happens to GAZ?

The GAZ Group was among the assets of Oleg Deripaska, against which American sanctions were imposed in April 2018. Subsequently, the billionaire was able to withdraw some of his assets from sanctions. In particular, restrictions were lifted from En+, Eurosibenergo and Rusal.

In return, the entrepreneur reduced his share in these structures below the control one. Independent directors were appointed to the boards of directors of En+ and Rusal, including citizens of the United States and European countries not related to Deripaska.

“The GAZ Group has been in negotiations with the US Treasury for more than a year,” the company told the BBC.

In April 2019, Deripaska said that he was ready to give up control in the GAZ group, but the success of a firefight with the US Treasury is unlikely. Deripaska said that in the case of the automobile plant, the interest of the US authorities in lifting sanctions is lower, because GAZ operates only in Russia, while Rusal owns factories all over the world.

At the same time the billionaire declared that the GAZ group faces bankruptcy or nationalization. According to him, some partners have already refused to cooperate with the company. In particular, a year ago, the assembly line of Mercedes-Benz light commercial vehicles, which was located at GAZ facilities, stopped working.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Memo to the Americans before traveling to Russia

Secrets of the embassy cuisine: what feed the Russian ambassador to the US

23 things in Minsk that have delighted the American tourist

Queues, bureaucracy, "kravchuchki". What “Soviet” can be found in modern America?

Opinion: Why Americans are used to sharing

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.