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Survey of Yekaterinburg residents on cathedral construction to take 20 days, says mayor

Since May 13, unauthorized rallies have been going on in Yekaterinburg against plans to rebuild the Saint Catherine’s Cathedral in a park instead of its original site

YEKATERINBURG, May 16. /TASS/. The survey of Yekaterinburg residents on the construction of Saint Catherine’s Cathedral in a garden square in the city center will take around 20 days, Yekaterinburg Mayor Alexander Vysokinsky informed TASS on Thursday.

"We have started the survey, the work is definitely underway. A good survey takes around 20 days, maybe even more. The full list of questions will be accessible on our website, several organizations are at work," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested polling the residents of Yekaterinburg before making a decision whether to push ahead with plans for building the cathedral.

Since May 13, unauthorized rallies have been going on in Yekaterinburg against plans to rebuild the Saint Catherine’s Cathedral in a park instead of its original site. Yekaterinburg’s authorities made the decision in February 2019, taking public opinion into consideration and in accordance with all necessary procedures, but still provoked outrage from some of the city’s residents. As of May 16, 96 people have been detained for taking part in unsanctioned protests.

Saint Catherine’s Cathedral is expected to be built by 2023, when Yekaterinburg will celebrate its 300th anniversary.