Press Release, 31.01.2018

On 1 February, Zamoskvoretsky District Court will consider the lawsuit of Maxim Kiselyov, Inter-District Public Prosecutor of the Zamoskvoretsky Public Prosecutor’s Office. Public Prosecutor demands that the decision of the Yakimanka Municipal Deputies Council (with nine Yabloko deputies and one deputy of the ruling United Russia party) on holding a referendum on 18 March be canceled. This had to be the first referendum ever held in Moscow.


The Public Prosecutor’s Office believes that the decision of the Council of Deputies to hold a referendum and its appointment is contrary to the federal and the Moscow laws, since not all issues are of local importance.

The Council of Deputies proposes to the Muscovites to make decisions on eight issues through a referendum: three on the traffic and public transport stops in the area, three about monuments and two about in-fill construction.

In particular, Muscovites will be asked about the transfer of the monument to Vladimir Lenin from the Kaluga Square to the Museon Park. Opinions of residents and deputies, whether there should be a monument in this square, diverge. Deputies also propose to conduct a survey on the installation of a monument to the first president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov in the city centre and a fountain in the park, named in his honour.

The monument was erected without any public discussion, although many residents were against it, Andrei Morev noted. Deputies appealed to the Mayor’s Office and the Moscow City Duma, but they replied that the monument should be in the area.

Another issue that is brought to the referendum concerns restriction of the maximum height of construction in the territory of Yakimanka, one of the central Moscow districts, by 30 meters.

Public Prosecutor Kiselyov is dissatisfied with four issues out of eight, but he suggests repealing the entire referendum.

“Apparently, the executive branch is not set up to hold referendums. The decision on the court was taken promptly, literally in two days. The Public Prosecutor’s Office is interested in repealing the referendum. But we will defend our position on all the issues, ” Yabloko’s Andrei Morev, head of the Yakimanka Council of Deputies, said.

The trial starts on 1 February at 11:30.

Address: Bolshoy Tatarskiy pereulok 1, room 610.

Accreditation through the court.