Press Release, July 25, 2013

On July 29, 2013, Sergei Mitrokhin, YABLOKO leader and candidate for the Mayor of Moscow, will support the action of Arkhnadzor (Architectural Heritage Control) public organisation held in protest of the destruction of Prince Volkonsky’s mansion at Vozdvizhenka Street in the centre of Moscow. Prince Volkonsky was prototype of Prince Bolkonsky in Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”. The activists will hold a series of pickets under the slogan “Bolkonsky’s mansion is destroyed. The Mayor must not keep silent”.

The reconstruction of the memorial building built in 18-19 centuries and associated with Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” held in the interests of the Center for Development of Interpersonal Communications led to the destruction of the facade walls, outdoor décor and the dome. At present  two new floors are being built over the remains of the historical building.

Since March 2013 Moscow city development laws prohibiting reconstruction of buildings in the architectural heritage zones have been openly violated. In spite of the fact that the reconstruction plan did not get a permission from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Moscow authorities issued in 2011-2012 a permit for reconstruction and in 2013 did not take any action to save the historical building.

According to Arkhnadzor, the architectural heritage is destroyed at complete silence of the Moscow Mayor’s Office. Acting Mayor Sergei Sobyanin neglected appeals of over 200 prominent figures of culture and science, numerous articles in the media and inquiries from deputies and members of the Public Chamber of the Presidential Council for Culture and Arts. So far, the Acting Mayor has not expressed his attitude to the violation of the law. Sobyanin prefers to ignore the destruction of the memorial and literary address of Leo Tolstoy which any capital would be proud of.

Sergei Mitrokhin will come to the picket at 12:00.

Location: in front of the monument to Yuri Dolgoruky, 13 Tverskaya Street.

It should be noted that the beginning of the construction works Sergei Mitrokhin visited the famous mansion. http://www.yabloko.ru/regnews/Moscow/2013/06/29

He wrote about the destruction of Prince Volkonsky’s mansion in his blog. http://www.yabloko.ru/blog/2013/07/01