The mayor of the southern city of Krasnodar has signed off on plans to build an Orthodox church on the grounds of a riverside park despite opposition from some locals, who previously asked the Kremlin to block the project.
An estimated 1,000 people gathered at the park last month to protest the proposed construction of a 70-meter-high church. In a video, protesters asked President Vladimir Putin to intervene in what they argue amounts to the destruction of public green space in an area of the city that already has churches.
“We are not against faith, we are for the law,” protesters said in the video.
Not everyone is opposed to the project, however. During Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7, around 200 people rallied in favor of the cathedral being built at the park, located on the Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment along the Kuban River.
According to the news outlet 7x7, Krasnodar Mayor Yevgeny Naumov signed a decree this week authorizing the construction of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which officials say will be dedicated to veterans of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Naumov said he made his decision following public discussions about the project.
Locals opposed to the church, who have been protesting the construction plans since 2024, launched a petition calling for Naumov’s resignation.
Krasnodar is a city of more than 1 million people, located east of annexed Crimea and south of Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk region.
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