He Wants To Do What?

The Mayor of Moscow wants to prevent snowfall in the city of Moscow this winter.  He plans to spend a few million dollars to hire the Russian Air Force to spray the winter clouds with chemicals before the clouds hit the city, in hopes to force the clouds to dump the snow in the suburbs.  WHAT?  Fine if it were just an idea, but the city council actually approved the plan!  Where do these people come from, and how do they get elected?  What's actually even funnier is that the residents in the Moscow suburbs object to the plan.  Why object?  Do they actually think the plan might work?  This can't be happening...I feel like I'm in a parallel universe...