Residents of Volgograd opposed the construction of the City Garden.

Residents recorded an appeal to Putin and Patriarch Kirill asking to stop the authorities' plans to cut down several dozen trees and build a cultural and educational center in the city garden of Volgograd. They ask the authorities to carry out new construction on vacant lands.

The appeal from the residents of Volgograd to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill was published today by the V1 publication. "Residents of Volgograd, large families, and regular visitors to the park 'Komsomolsky Garden - City Garden' are addressing you. In early June 2026, the residents learned from the media that Governor Andrey Bocharov and Metropolitan Fyodor jointly laid a stone as a sign of the upcoming construction of a 'Cultural and Educational Center' with an area of 1500 m2, involving the cutting down of several dozen trees. This stone has been called the 'stone of discord' by the people, as Volgograd residents believe that interference in the historically established environment is a direct path to disrupting an already tense society. The idea of building a new complex on the extremely limited territory of Komsomolsky Garden, with the cutting down of almost a quarter of the park for a function that is not very clear to the residents, has caused an extremely negative reaction among Volgograd residents," the authors of the appeal noted.

The specified project regulates the destruction of dozens of trees, including an oak alley dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War.

According to them, public discussions are being held until July 6, but even residents of the nearest houses cannot participate in them. The residents fear that they will lose not only the trees but also access to the park.

"Soviet architects planted a park here with unique mature shady trees of various species and shrubs. The historical green zone was formed here more than 100 years ago. The specified project regulates the destruction of dozens of trees, including an oak alley dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. In addition, on the territory of Komsomolsky Garden, there is a church of the icon of the Urupinskaya Mother of God, built 22 years ago with public funds, which, like the unique trees, is also threatened with demolition due to the construction of the cultural and educational complex," the participants of the appeal indicated.

Residents are also concerned about the fate of the graves of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War, defenders of Stalingrad, as well as cultural sites and places of recreation.

"Here, in a well and qualitatively landscaped area, objects of different functional purposes have coexisted for many decades: the pre-revolutionary — the oldest in the city — monument to Gogol, the monument to Erman, an underground bunker that is the site of the heroic death of the defenders of Stalingrad — the 10th NKVD division, as well as children's playgrounds, small attractions, concert stages, and an outdoor cinema area. All these elements have organically entered its structure after quality reconstruction of the park. In addition, the planned area falls within the protective zones of several cultural heritage sites," the authors of the appeal indicated.

They called on the authorities to choose another vacant site for construction instead of the City Garden.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that residents of the "Admiralty" residential complex in January 2026 in the Krasnoarmeysky district complained about the issued permit for new residential construction near apartment buildings. Concerned residents recorded a video appeal to Bastrykin and the governor of the Volgograd region asking to ban the construction.