Residents of Krasnodar have announced their continued fight against embankment development.

The public discussion of the construction of a church on Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment in Krasnodar has become a sham – authorities have ignored the opinions of the majority of residents. Residents continue to picket, convinced that only the attention of federal authorities will prevent the construction of the church.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" reported, the public discussion of plans to build a church on the embankment in Krasnodar's Yubileiny microdistrict lasted a week, but not everyone was able to participate. Residents distributed leaflets and held pickets. Activists from the Yubileyny microdistrict submitted a request to the administration for a rally against development in a green space on October 18. However, they were only permitted to protest in Klenovy Park, located ten kilometers from the microdistrict. Authorities also refused to approve rallies for October 26 and November 9. Krasnodar authorities rejected all residents' objections to the development on Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment, but acknowledged the reports of those supporting the church construction. Activists called the administration's actions mockery.

On November 2, several activists held solo pickets on the embankment in Krasnodar with signs reading "No to development!" They told a correspondent that they do not intend to "give up their positions." "The actions of recording video messages, written appeals to the President of the Russian Federation, the prosecutor's office, and solitary pickets continue," one of the participants, who identified herself as Olga, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

On October 24, the Krasnodar administration published the results of public hearings on the land use plan for the embankment of the Yubileiny microdistrict. Of the 1,928 participants in the hearings, approximately 1,500 residents spoke out against the construction of the temple complex, but the commission found their comments unfounded. The arguments of the supporters—430 people in total—were accepted and taken into account.

Vladimir Domrin, Deputy Chairman of the City Land Use and Development Commission, recommended that the planning project be sent to the Department of Architecture for subsequent approval, according to a document posted on the City Hall website.

Yubileiny residents called the results of the discussions a "formal procedure."

"This is not a dialogue, but a fiction," said activist Yana Antonova. "The current format of public hearings allows the mayor's office to easily dismiss most of the residents' objections. Politics is the art of the possible, and the administration is taking advantage of the fact that it can ignore Yubileiny's opinion. It does," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Antonova, ten years ago, similar hearings were held in person and allowed people to genuinely express their disagreement: "In 2013, when the development of the Renova embankment was being discussed, residents simply disrupted the hearing. Elderly women showed up and loudly declared their opposition. Now, in-person hearings have been reduced to a minimum, and therefore objections are easily ignored," she emphasized.

Antonova is confident that the residents' struggle for the embankment will continue. "The decisive moment will be the attempt to fence off the area for construction. "This is what happened in Yekaterinburg in 2019," the activist noted.

According to her, residents intend to appeal to the prosecutor's office and regional authorities, and, if necessary, to the president. "Residents of Yubileyny don't believe that the city and regional authorities are going to enforce the laws. That's why people are turning to the president and holding pickets. No permit is required for solo protests, and it's a legal way to fight back," she said.

Antonova also pointed out the engineering risks that the mayor's office had ignored. "A storm drain—a pipe about one and a half meters in diameter—runs under this section, protecting Chekistov Avenue from flooding. "We demand a public answer: were geological surveys conducted? Is a collector included in the underground utility plans? And will the construction of an 80-meter church lead to a breakdown of the entire stormwater drainage system?" she asked.

Activists fear that if these questions are ignored, Yubileiny could suffer the same fate as the Musical District, where flooding has become chronic after the construction of drainage zones.

Local resident Vladimir Kashnikov believes the mayor's office's decision contains signs of not only administrative violations but also possible corruption. "Many residents aren't simply against the church—they see it as a violation of the law. It's creating social tension out of nowhere." "We are asking the competent authorities to intervene," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Kashnikov, residents have created a portal for publishing appeals, including video messages, to document the process and attract public attention. "We don't believe the case will be resolved legally—the law has already been violated." "But we believe the authorities will be afraid of public outrage," the activist noted.

Lawyer Roman Lykov noted that the complete rejection of all objections, despite the clear numerical superiority of those protesting against the construction, raises questions about the legality of the procedure. "In accordance with Article 5.1 of the Urban Development Code of the Russian Federation, the results of public discussions must reflect the balance of opinions expressed and take into account the prevailing position of the residents of the microdistrict. Including comments from residents of other districts and even cities in the results, as the commission did, contradicts the purpose of local discussions. Therefore, the administration's decision can be challenged in court as being made in violation of public participation standards," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Krasnodar City Duma Deputy Alexander Safronov, who lives in the Yubileiny microdistrict, stated that the mayor's office is not only ignoring objections but is also blocking protest activity. The Krasnodar branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation submitted notices for rallies three times—on October 18, 26, and November 9—in places where residents want their voices heard. "Every time we get a refusal: the places are supposedly already occupied by other events," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the deputy, this practice violates Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly. "The authorities are preventing people from realizing their right to be heard. This is not a dialogue, but administrative silence," he believes.

Residents of Yubileyny are confident that the struggle is just beginning. "More than 1,500 people have spoken out against the church. These people have families, neighbors, and friends. They will not disappear, and their position will have to be taken into account," says Antonova.

"What's remarkable is that residents' arguments are analyzed paragraph by paragraph, while the opinions of their supporters are accepted without question," emphasized one of the participants in the discussions, Maxim.

Residents of Yubileyny note that the commission responded to all their demands to prevent the embankment from being developed with lengthy formal statements. petitions, finding the objections "unfounded." At the same time, the commission took the opinions of diocesan representatives, such as Vladimir Golosov, assistant to the dean for interaction with authorities, "under consideration" — briefly and without comment.

"The interest and corruption component are obvious if you analyze the commission's conclusion," said a local resident who introduced himself as Alexey. He also left a comment on the city hall portal, where he emphasized that the construction of a new church is excessive for the neighborhood.

"I object to the construction of a church complex in the Southern Moscow Region. I believe that the presence of the Church of the Nativity of Christ and the Thessaloniki Chapel is quite sufficient for our neighborhood. And the funds could be used for more necessary purposes," wrote resident Olga Taushkanova.

A similar opinion was expressed Evgeniya Edrisova, noting that in the Southern Moscow Region "there is an acute shortage of public spaces and playgrounds, while the need for churches is fully met by existing ones."

The commission responded to her appeal with a formulaic statement: "We recommend rejecting the proposal as presented." The explanation for the decision stated that "when determining the number and composition of church complexes, it is recommended to consider not only local residents but also those visiting from other settlements located within a two-hour drive of Krasnodar."