Participants in a rally of thousands in Moscow demanded the resignation of Mayor Sobyanin
A rally of thousands against the renovation of Moscow took place today on Sakharov Avenue. According to the police, about 5 thousand people gathered for it, according to an independent “white counter” - 20 thousand. The organizers themselves estimated the number of people gathered at 60 thousand or more.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator news on Telegram , Facebook , Odnoklassniki , or VKontakte
The rally was attended by citizens opposing the program proposed by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to demolish five-story Khrushchev-era apartment buildings and build new houses in their place. The cost of the renovation program is estimated at 96,5 billion rubles.
The organizers of the rally believe that the renovation will be carried out in the interests not of Muscovites, but of developers who are faced with the impossibility of selling apartments in new buildings on the market.
“Already built apartments are purchased with budget money. Developers can thus pay off banks and build new houses that the city does not need. All this is being transferred offshore, the economy is being destroyed,” said Elena Rusakova, deputy of the Gagarin Municipality of Moscow.
The organizer of the rally, Moscow City Duma deputy Elena Shuvalova, drew the attention of those gathered to the fact that the city government does not have the money to resettle really unsafe and dilapidated housing in the capital.
Other speakers said that the Moscow government is trying to artificially provoke a conflict between opponents of renovation and citizens whose living conditions do not meet standards. According to the protesters, the government can help these people even without a renovation program.
Representatives of various districts expressed concern that multi-storey buildings built on the site of five-storey buildings would overstress the capital's infrastructure, cause an influx of migration, an increase in crime and environmental problems.
At the request of the Moscow government, the floor was given to Dinara Yakusheva, who spoke on behalf of those who support the renovation. She immediately aroused the rejection of those gathered, starting with the address “dear guests!” She was applauded and whistled. Meanwhile, a group of young people ventured into the square with the slogan “For demolition!”
The protesters chanted “Hands off Moscow!”, “Sobyanin resign!”. In the resolution, they demanded that the State Duma of the Russian Federation not adopt a law on renovation in Moscow.
Participants in a multi-thousand rally in Moscow demanded the resignation of Mayor Sobyanin.