Contrary to the governor’s opinion, the views of the Kazan Kremlin from the roads were blocked in the capital of Tatarstan

“The face of the city” closed

At a recent meeting of the interdepartmental commission on urban development, discussing a private project of a thermal complex on the Kirov Dam, Rais of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov approved everything except opaque noise-suppressing screens. This blank wall will completely block the view of the Kremlin, the river basin and the monument temple to fallen soldiers on the Kazanka River. The head of the republic asked to present other options for the screens, according to the official website of the rais of Tatarstan.

However, the contract for the construction of an unsightly wall along the dam was not only concluded long ago, but is also being actively implemented. Less than a week after the meeting of the commission, which took place on 9 June, about half of the screens have already been installed. The work is still continuing at a rapid pace.

The idea of developing the area along the Kirov Dam was approved almost two years ago. But, discussing these plans with the mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin during an inspection of the bridge in September 2023, Rustam Minnikhanov emphasized that this project should provide “convenience for people” and necessarily meet the main criterion — to be formed in compliance with all the conditions of the Kremlin's security zone.

One of the most important aspects for the Kirov Dam should be the perception by viewers of the view of the Kremlin from the train window, from the railway, she noted: “If earlier passengers, arriving in Kazan, immediately saw the Kremlin in all its glory, now they will see a “fence”, and this is a gross violation of the requirements for the Kremlin's security zone.”

Aksyonova added that earlier, with the same violations of the requirements for the UNESCO monument's security zone, a noise protection fence was erected on the dam in front of the Millennium Bridge. To the question of how correct it would be to replace the blind screens with transparent ones, as they did at the new road junction on Gorky Highway, she answered that this would also raise doubts, since the plastic they are made of will not remain transparent for long. During operation, under atmospheric influence, it will become cloudy and dirty.

“If you want to preserve the face of the city, blocking the view of it is, in principle, undesirable! — she put an end to the discussion of the issue of screens.

“In whose interests are they pushing this through?”

Activist Airat Nuriyev sent an appeal to the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Tatarstan regarding the violation of the law. The editorial board has the text of the appeal.

On behalf of the city residents, he asks to pay attention to the problems associated with the installation of blind screens on the roads of Kazan, to conduct an inspection and take measures against violators of the law.

Expressing dissatisfaction, the population also cites the following argument: public transport stops in Kazan have been equipped with transparent walls, citing this precisely because they do not block people's view. At the same time, the view of the Millennium and Kirov Dam is blocked not from one point, but for more than a kilometre!

Kazan residents opposed the installation of noise protection screens back in 2024, when the structures were being installed on the Millennium Bridge. The corresponding application on the People's Control of the Republic of Tatarstan portal was supported by 750 people.

“View of the Kazanka River, the embankment, to the Kremlin will be closed to residents and visitors of the city. The city will lose a beautiful and panoramic view,” Insaf N. pointed out.

“Installation of noise protection screens on roads with high traffic intensity is carried out to reduce the background noise from passing cars,” the executive committee responded to the application with a “reasoned refusal.”

City residents suspect that this is not due to the desire to protect from road noise, but out of concern for the interests of wealthy visitors to elite restaurants, hotels, swimming pools and spas, who prefer to privately admire the views of the Kazan Kremlin, the water surface and embankments.

Realnoe Vremya contacted the Kazan Executive Committee with a request to find out how the installation of deaf noise-suppressing screens is coordinated with the proposal of the Tatarstan rais to present other protection options. The publication also asked to clarify why, in violation of the Kazan Kremlin security zone, screens are being installed on the Kirov Dam, blocking the view of the Kremlin, Kazanka River and the Kazanka memorial temple, while such screens were previously installed on the Millennium Bridge? We are interested in how the city's chief architect and the leadership of the Tourism Development Committee feel about this, whether other noise protection options were discussed and why the worst solutions to the problem were chosen from the point of view of Kazan's image as a tourist capital.

The editorial board asked to clarify why construction work on the site is being carried out without a permit and there is no sign with information about the project on the fence of the construction site.

The newspaper also sent a request to the head of the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites and to the Tatarstan Prosecutor's Office. Ivan Gushchin was asked to explain how the construction of blind noise barriers in the protected areas of the Kazan Kremlin correlates with current legislation and whether the committee took any measures to prevent violations.