Press Release, 4 June 2026

Photo: Residents of the Strogino district of Moscow and members of Moscow Yabloko during the inspection of 2 June / Photo by Vyacheslav Radchenko

On 2 June, residents of the Moscow district of Strogino, together with Moscow Yabloko, conducted an inspection at Moskvoretsky Park. In the Troitse-Lykovo area, residents have for several years been unlawfully denied access to the Moskva River in violation of the provisions of the Water Code which bans restricting public access to water reservoirs. Under the pretext of improvements to a church, a fence was erected that initially cut off residents’ access to the water first along a stretch of 300 metres and, subsequently, along almost a kilometre. Members of the Bureau of Moscow Yabloko are calling on residents to submit complaints to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Investigative Committee demanding an investigation into the lawfulness of the Russian Orthodox Church’s actions.

Since 18 May, the area around the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God in Troitse-Lykovo has been enclosed by a kilometre-long fence, with works under way “to improve the church grounds”. As far back as 2020, a fence had been erected more than twenty metres from the embankment of the Moskva River; over six years of these “improvements,” however, the fence has been moved repeatedly, and today the distance from the fence to the riverbank is no more than seven metres. Access to the enclosed riverside area is closed to Muscovites.

This area falls within a specially protected natural territory. On 2 June, members of Moscow Yabloko, among them Federal Political Committee member Sergei Mitrokhin and Bureau member of the regional branch Irina Kopkina, travelled there together with Strogino activists.

“The bank strip of the Moskva River has been unlawfully reduced from 20 to 7 metres — a direct violation of the Water Code of the Russian Federation,” emphasises Irina Kopkina. “Under the pretext of improving the church grounds, a fence has been erected that has cut off residents’ access to the water along a 300-metre stretch. But that was a few days ago, the appetite of those breaking the law is growing, and today this stretch extends to almost a kilometre.”

She emphasises that citizens are collecting signatures and submitting appeals to every authority on a daily basis, but are receiving nothing in return but form-letter responses: “For instance, a response from the Moscow Administrative and Technical Inspectorate states that no permits were issued for earthworks, the installation of temporary fencing, or structures, and that during an inspection on 27 May, the fences were allegedly not observed”.

Photo: The fensed specially protected natural territory / Photo by Vyacheslav Radchenko

“How could they have failed to notice them? Why are we receiving form-letter responses instead of action? We demand results,” says Irina Kopkina. “I called on all those present, and on all concerned Muscovites, to submit complaints to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Investigative Committee demanding an investigation into the unlawful seizure of land. The Moskva River is a common asset, not private property.”

Irina Kopkina further emphasises that there is today not even a separation between cyclists and pedestrians on the narrow strip along the river, making walks along the embankment unsafe.

It should also be noted that on 4 June, Federal Political Committee member Sergei Mitrokhin published a letter from the administration of Moscow’s Strogino district. The document repeats the form-letter response previously sent by the Administrative and Technical Inspectorate: “For the purposes of improvement works […] a corresponding project has been developed […]. The project received a favourable assessment from the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection. […] The works will be carried out in full compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation and the City of Moscow.”