Thousands of coal miners, scientists and other workers blocked major railroads and highways throughout Russia Tuesday, demanding that the government pay back wages and meet other obligations. Striking miners in the central Siberian town of Anzhero-Sudzhensk blocked the Trans-Siberian railroad for a fifth day, forcing trains to take an alternate route hundreds of miles longer. Miners from neighboring regions said they would seal off the alternate route starting Wednesday–effectively cutting train travel between Moscow and Russia’s vast eastern regions. In Russia’s Far East, 200 scientists blocked a highway to protest low wages and sharp cutbacks in funding for the sciences. They said salaries for some scientists were as low as $50 a month, Russian news agencies reported.
