Support The Moscow Times!

Dozens Arrested in Russian City Rocked by Protests Against Church Building

inburg.ru

Authorities in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg have detained dozens of people as thousands of residents continued to defend a riverside park from plans to build a church on its grounds.

Protests against placing the church in the city’s central park entered their third day Wednesday following clashes with defenders of the construction site, which included members of a boxing academy and riot police. The cathedral's opponents say it would take away needed green and recreational space from the city’s 1.5 million residents.


										 					e1.ru
e1.ru

Seventy people have been taken into custody during at least 12 hours of rallies on Wednesday, the OVD-Info police-monitoring website estimates. Yekaterinburg police said only 33 people had been detained.

Footage showed some of the violent apprehensions that were caught on camera.

At least four detentions were reported on the first day of anti-church construction rallies Monday, followed by 29 on Tuesday. A court has placed as many as 21 of them under arrest for up to 10 days on charges of petty hooliganism.

The church — a replica of a cathedral razed by Soviet Bolsheviks 90 years ago — is part of a major commercial project funded by Yekaterinburg’s metals tycoons, according to project documents. The approved project, financed by Russia’s 24th and 25th-richest billionaires, will include housing and office space opposite the planned church.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more