A demolished shopping center near one of Moscow subway stations.
Ninety-seven kiosks and small shopping centers located near or around Moscow monumental subway stations were demolished during the night starting February 8 as “illegal”.
The demolition was a result of the city government’s decision to remove structures, which in their opinion, were built without formal planning permission, were making the city ugly, presented some danger since they were built above gas or water pipes, or were blocking ways for pedestrians. In fact most of the demolished constructions were built with official permits. Some of these constructions even got permits from the current administration.
But the city authorities chose to disregard all the documents.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated: “One can not protect himself with a peace of paper on property, acquired in a fraudulent way… The demolition of illegal buildings in Moscow is a vivid example of the fact that truth is not for sale in Russia today.”
Here is how one of prominent Russian journalsts, Nikolai Svanidze comments on the Mayor’s statement:
“Acquired by fraudulent way… Yes, probably, some of the permits were acquired by fradulent way, but it is necessary to prove it in court. And now it turns out that all the papers for the rights to property at any time can be declared fraudulent. And of course all the people immediately come to think: our rights to garages, apartments, are all of them fake? Try to prove that they are not fake. Nobody even wants to look at your papers. Your property is already destroyed. Too late.
Of course, the legal consciousness in our country was not the most advanced in the world, and now they just trampled on it. Is it possible so callously to destroy a respect for the law? And what about the people, their taxes, their jobs? What about human lives? These people worked in these stores for years, some for decades. And then suddenly, snap – and they lost their jobs. Where will these people go? What are these people to think?”
As the result of the demolition, the city lost 30 billion rubles in taxes annually and 15,000 people lost their jobs.
The nights when buildings were razed was named “The night of the long shovels” by Russian media , as demolitions was mainly made by using excavators’ shovels.
It is in reference to the famous Nazi Night of the Long Knives . The event is treated by Muscovites as a real sensation: the Russian capital looked this week like a city bombed by enemy aviation raid.
Here is the video of the destruction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYzczvfq0fA
A detailed history of one of the demolished objects was published in several Russian web sites. Here is one of demolished buildings which contained two stores: A florist and a grocery store.
The building belonged to Maria Antonova, who built it on the land which was officially leased by her from the city in 1995. In 1997, when 850 year Anniversary of Moscow was celebrated, the city ordered lessees of the land to build permanent constructions. Back then Antonova started a new legal procedure for further legalizing her lease of the land and the construction. The legalization process took three years. Lease was officially extended for 20 years.
Maria Antonova
In 2007 City authorities demolished one of Antonova’s stores, in order to build a tunnel. She received no compensation, and was forced to pay the tax for the land during the eight years that it couldn’t be used by her.
Authorities many times made attempts to demolish her other stores, claiming that the stores were built over a gas pipe, though this pipe was cut off in 2005. The city sued Antonova many times, but every time the city lost the case. Officials frequently came to the businesswoman, supported by the police, threatening that they will demolish her stores with tanks. Several times she was beaten by the policemen.
After five years of fights in courts The Supreme Arbitration Court conclusively ruled in favor of Antonova.
The latest decision of the authorities to demolish her property was not delivered to Antonova. She heard gossips about demolition plans. She called City Hall several times but was told that nothing is planned.
A demolition crew and police came late at night. All the merchandise and the storeowners, who heard gossips about the coming disaster, were inside of the stores. Protesting the authorities action, they brought their children to their stores.
Maria Antonova:
“A policeman hit my kidneys. One of my lessees, Dmitry Kabanov, pleaded to give him a half an hour to take the merchandise out. They arrested him for resistance to the police and they are going to sue him.
They are worse then gangsters… Destroyed everything, deprived me of my property and in addition had beaten me up.”
Here is the video of the demolition of one of the shopping centers. Starting from 3:20 min of the video one can understand without translation that the excavator operator starts demolition of the store with the children inside, ignoring loud pleading and cries of their relatives. A policeman explains: “We asked them to leave. They stayed in the store by their own will”.
One can find on Russian Internet many similar stories. Many demolished shopping centers contained fairly large clothing or electronics stores. Some contained branches of banks. All of these businesses had been demolished without prior notice and even without a permission to save merchandise and documentation.
A popular blogger Anton Nosik wrote: “They demolished all that they wanted to demolish. They spit on the media publications, court decisions, and the legality of the demolished buildings”.
Most of Muscovites are shocked by demolition of the kiosks and small shopping centers, located near subway stations. They use to buy such things as newspapers, groceries, bakery, flowers, and alcohol in these facilities on their way home from their job. Many Muscovites have no time for a regular shopping in supermarkets.
Some years ago Sergey Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow since 2010, had demolished thousands of small kiosks in the city streets in an attempt to make Moscow more “clean and beautiful.” The act was criticized by many, even pro-government commentators. Michael Borschevsky, a lawyer who officially represents Russian Government, said the following in an interview by radio Ekho Moskvy:
“In the area where I work there were five or six kiosks where one could buy flowers. Now there is not even one. There is only one flower store, and prices over there jumped up incredibly… In my opinion the beauty of the city is important, but still one needs to buy flowers, ice cream, vegetables, newspapers… Have you seen any news stands in the streets recently?”
Now people will not be able to buy any goods even near subway stations.
Moscow Mayer Sergey Sobyanin stated: “Let’s give Moscow back to Muscovites. Let’s give them back parks, squares and streets. Open, beautiful, beloved! “
Lubov Sobol, the lawyer of the Navalny’s Fund To Combat Corruption published on February 9 an investigation, revealing information about those who are behind the demolition of the “illegal” outlets in Moscow and about the government plans for use of the cleared up territories.
According to the Sobol’s investigation the new construction will be started in the cleared up areas, and the Moscow Department of Transportation will be in charge of permits. According to the lawyer, the “land in the city center with a perfect transport accessibility” will not be used for parks and parking lots for bicycles, it will be used to build new shopping area, with new owners.
One of the leaders of the Russian opposition Vladimir Ryzhkov commented:
“In a crisis two things are usually done: making life easier for businesses and reducing taxes. What does Russia do, what the Moscow authorities in particular do? Ruin business. Lately, even before the demolition, 36,000 people lost their jobs in small businesses in Moscow and were thrown into the street. I do not know how many people were actually left without job this night, how many children are left without money needed for their food, clothing, and so on.
“And, well, sorry, what a signal was given to society? The signal, that tomorrow they can take out your house, your apartment, that they can break in, destroy your home, which you own legally. What signal was given to a businessman, who was thinking to invest in building a store? Will one invest, if one understands that tomorrow night they will come with bulldozers and destroy it?
“So I’m shocked. I do not understand what the Moscow government and Sobyanin are doing, because, from the point of view of the interests of Muscovites, their actions are against those interests; from the viewpoint of anti-crisis measures these are pro-crisis measures; in terms of signal to society and to businesses, the signal is disastrous.”
How to explain the strange actions of the Moscow Government to Muskovites?
The gossip is already created, that the “villain” behind the action is Barack Obama. The American President threatened Russia with the atomic war and for Muskovites the only chance to survive in case of atomic war is to take refuge in the Moscow subway. It is the deepest subway in the world, which was built in Stalin’s time with the idea to use it as an atomic bomb shelter. So Moscow athorities have no choice but to urgently clear all the accesses to subway stations.
It would sound as a joke if it wouldn’t be a part of a huge campaign started recently by the Russian propaganda machine.
Here is the video that was published February 11 on YouTube:
Below isthe translation of the video’s text:
“I, Ekaterina Kononenko, I’m 19 years old, I am a second-year student of the Astrakhan State University, along with friends, fellow students, and students of Russian universities that share our position, had recorded this video message to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as well as to the International Hague Tribunal.
“ ‘We sincerely do not understand why the United States, through its President, had assumed the role of world judge. The United States is responsible for thousands of lives taken away from the citizens of Libya, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Syria, and other countries, the sovereignty of which the United States repeatedly violated.
“We want to live in peace and security, we want to be sure that tomorrow Obama will not be able to give the order to destroy our homes, just because he wanted to destroy them.
“We demand a fair trial of Barack Obama, who threatens the civilised world with nuclear destruction.’ ”
