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Only 6% of Moscow's Demolished Properties Illegal – Court

Debris of flattened kiosks scatters on the ground near the Christ the Savior Cathedral, seen in the background, in downtown Moscow.

Russia's Supreme Court has confirmed that only 6 percent of street properties recently demolished by City Hall were constructed illegally, the RBC newspaper reported Friday, citing the Supreme Court's records.

The court's records show that 27 cases were still being examined by the courts and 48 cases had already been decided in favor of the property-owners. The court found that only three of the properties demolished by the authorities had been constructed illegally, RBC reported.

City Hall claim that the properties were constructed without the necessary permits.

The demolition of almost 100 street kiosks and small shopping centers took place in Russia's capital on Feb. 8-9.

Commenting on the move, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his Vkontakte social network page Wednesday, that the owners of the properties “have no right to hide behind property papers which were clearly acquired illegally.”

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