Russians staged a number of protests in several cities and towns in the Moscow region over pollution from landfills.

In the largest rally, around 1,000 people staged a demonstration in the town of Volokolamsk on April 14, urging authorities to close down a landfill in the village of Yadrovo.

Residents have been demonstrating against the dump since January, and their protests intensified after dozens of children were rushed to hospitals with symptoms of gas poisoning on March 21.

Thousands protested in Volokolamsk in the latest rally on April 1, demanding the dump's closure.

The Yadrovo landfill was opened in 2008 and is a dumping site for garbage from Moscow and nearby regions.

On April 14, hundreds of people also protested in the city of Serpukhov, 90 kilometers south of Moscow, where residents want a landfill to be closed.

In the town of Lobnya, hundreds demonstrated against the planned construction of a garbage incinerator.

With reporting by AP