The demolition of "Khrushchyovkas" will leave one and a half million Muscovites homeless

Moscow - The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, has presented his plan to demolish aging apartment buildings from the era of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Approximately 1.6 million people, or about 13 percent of the city's population, will lose their homes due to the demolition of buildings called "Khrushchyovkas," according to the newspaper Vedomosti.

Under the plan, around 25 million square meters of residential space will be demolished in Moscow. The city has allocated 300 million rubles (over 130 million crowns) for the implementation of the project, and new construction is expected to cost up to 2.4 trillion rubles.

Sobyanin announced his intention to demolish the Khrushchyovkas to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the end of February. According to some government officials, Sobyanin, who wants to leave a "big mark" in the history of Moscow, fully believes in the project.

As a result of the demolition of the Khrushchyovkas, more than one and a half million residents of Moscow will lose their homes. The Moscow city hall plans to resettle them into newly built houses. According to a source from the city hall, more than 30 million square meters of new residential space will be needed for the resettlement. Additionally, the city must build new infrastructure.

In the initial phase, the project aims to be funded by the city itself, without additional investors. According to Sobyanin, Moscow has enough money for the project. The city hall has already allocated 100 million rubles annually for the next three years for the implementation of the project. This year, it plans to invest 15 percent more in city construction than last year.

Exact details about the buildings to be demolished are not yet available. However, the project reportedly concerns approximately eight thousand buildings constructed between 1950 and 1970. Other buildings located in the selected area could also be demolished. According to the city hall, the condition for demolition is the consent of the building's residents. A selected building will only be demolished if the overwhelming majority of its residents agree to the demolition. For this purpose, the city hall will conduct an extensive survey among the residents of the Khrushchyovkas.

A strong protest movement has already formed in Moscow, according to Vedomosti. Much depends on how the city conducts the survey, the newspaper adds.