Omsk mayor's office scolds local woman for repairing city's potholes on her own

A woman living in Omsk has become a local celebrity for acting where officials have failed, repairing potholes throughout the city. In doing so, Veronika Bobrus has earned the rebuke of the mayor's office, which accuses her of behaving irresponsibly, meddling in work that should be done by professionals, it says.

"Good intentions aside, this person does not have the qualifications to complete this work adequately, to make the roads smoother and less dangerous," said Omsk Mayor Vyacheslav Dvorakovsky.

According to the news website FlashSiberia, an anonymous source in the mayor's office said, "Realize that this woman is 'repairing' potholes not according to state standards and specifications. What is she using to fill them in? Simple gravel or sand? She's clearly not laying down asphalt. This isn't pothole repair—it's I-don't-know-what. She didn't even get our permission for her actions!"

At her own expense, 26-year-old Veronika Bobrus buys a special mix of gravel and uses it to fill potholes. She performs the work at night, so she doesn't interfere with traffic.

The quality of Russia's roads is a notorious public safety issue. Activists elsewhere have graffitied images of penises and state officials' faces, in efforts to motivate the government to expedite repairs.

If pothole repairs are urgently needed, citizens should contact traffic police or appeal directly to road management and improvement officers, an official in the mayor's office said.