A park dedicated to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine was torn down in order to make way for the construction of a new business center, the regional news outlet Govorit Moskva reported Tuesday.
The “Homecoming Alley,” unveiled in the Bashkortostan capital of Ufa in September 2022, featured 130 tree saplings planted by soldiers’ relatives, local cadets and the city’s mayor.
Residents in Ufa, located around 1,400 kilometers east of Moscow, told local media last week that the trees had been cleared “in favor of a business center.” Images on social media showed dismantled playgrounds and paving tiles piled on the ground.
Police said they were looking into a video of a man and woman loading tree saplings from the park into a car. In the video, the unidentified individuals claimed they were “planting them elsewhere.”
Govorit Moskva noted that plans for a business center, parking lot and a 30-story residential building at the site of the veterans park were first approved in September 2020. The final revisions to the land survey and project plans were reportedly signed off this spring.
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