Press Release, 15.01.2024

Photo: Boris Vishnevsky (centre) / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The Oktyabrsky District Court of St. Petersburg declared illegal the “raider takeover” of the regional branch of VOOPIiK (All-Russian Society for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage). The court challenging the legality of the “conference”, which “elected” the current management of the society, lasted over a year and declared the decisions of the “conference” of 29 June, 2022 invalid due to their nullity. The illegality of the “conference” was proven. The interests of the applicants, one of whom was Boris Vishnevsky, Deputy Chairman of Yabloko, were represented by Alexander Kobrinsky, a lawyer and a member of the Bureau of the St. Petersburg Yabloko. Also a witness at the trial was Yelena Korshunova, a member of the St. Petersburg Yabloko and a member of VOOPIiK.

Well-known St.Petersburg historic preservation activists Alexander Kononov and lawyer Anna Kapitonova took an active part in the proceedings. Many documents were studied and a large number of witnesses were questioned during the trial.

Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Boris Vishnevsky believes that those who wanted to shut up city defenders so that would not interfere with the destruction of St. Petersburg’s historical buildings needed the seizure of the St. Petersburg VOOPIiK to clear off the “space” for new construction and profit. In addition, the politician emphasised that many Yabloko members were members of VOOPIiK and the St. Petersburg Yabloko had always considered city protection a key topic.

“If the decision remains in force (which we hope for) during the appeal, then the previous leadership of St. Petersburg VOOPIiK, headed by Alexander Margolis, who were elected for five years in 2021, will automatically return. And the self-proclaimed “leaders” will be left with nothing. Thanks to all the colleagues who did not put up with lawlessness and defended their rights in court,” the Deputy Chairman of Yabloko said.

It should be noted that city defenders disputed the results of the “conference” of the VOOPIiK branch which took place on 29 June, 2022. The “delegates” of the “conference” were mostly people “elected” via fraud and were “admitted” as members of the organisation on the threashold of the election. There were almost 220 people from various structures associated with developers and organisations that provided services to them. At this “conference,” the head of St. Petersburg VOOPIiK Alexander Margolis and all city defenders were removed from the leadership of the St. Petersburg branch, and Anton Ivanov was elected Chairman. On the same day, the Presidium of the Central Council of the All-Russian Society for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage (VOOPIiK) expelled from the St. Petersburg branch well-known city activists who tried to actively prevent the “raider takeover”: Anna Kapitonova, Alexander Kononov, Alexei Kovalyov and Boris Vishnevsky.

BORIS VISHNEVSKY

is Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko Party, member of the Yabloko Federal Political Committee and Bureau, and an MP of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg