The Patriarch did not attend the church foundation ceremony in the Yubileiny microdistrict.

Security forces were deployed to Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment this morning, where local residents are protesting the construction of a church. Patriarch Kirill's visit, which was supposed to lay the foundation stone for the cathedral, did not take place.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on April 23, activists announced a signature drive for a petition to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia asking him to reconsider the decision to build the church. In two days, they collected nearly 500 signatures for the petition asking Patriarch Kirill to reconsider the decision to build the church on Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment. They reported attempts by police to obstruct the signature drive. On April 23, Krasnodar police warned activist Yana Antonova about the inadmissibility of participating in protests marking the arrival of Patriarch Kirill.

About a dozen baton-wielding security forces were deployed today to Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment in Krasnodar, where Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was expected to visit. Metal barriers were also brought in, Krasnodar YUMR reports.

According to the Telegram channel, the signature drive against the church construction continued into the evening of April 25th.

However, the scale of the security force presence did not correspond to the Patriarch's visit – there were no hundreds of law enforcement officers present. The access road to the church construction site was not even cleared of closely parked cars. Communications were not jammed, and there were no traffic police patrols to ensure the unimpeded passage of Patriarch Kirill's motorcade. "The priests didn't even come to the embankment," writes Gorod.Krasnodar. According to the publication, residents were not prevented from moving along the embankment.

Activists have been fighting against the embankment development for several years.

As a reminder, on December 15, 2025, residents of the Yubileyny microdistrict of Krasnodar, protesting against the embankment development, recorded a video message to Vladimir Putin, but their question was not voiced during the president's direct line.

Kavkazsky Knot also reported that in November Opponents of the construction of a church in Yubileiny, together with representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, began collecting signatures demanding the resignation of Mayor Yevgeny Naumov.

In September 2024, residents of the Yubileiny microdistrict of Krasnodar protested against the development of Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment, where, according to the city's new general plan, a church was planned. They explained that this was the only large recreation area in the microdistrict. Activists collected signatures for a petition to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev against the development of Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment. more than 3,000 signatures were collected. Activist Vitaly Cherkasov and City Duma deputy Alexander Safronov were detained During the signature collection process, they were fined by the court.

Residents of the neighborhood actively protested against the development of the embankment, explaining that it was the only major recreation area in the neighborhood. However, in November 2024, the City Duma deputies adopted a new general plan despite their protests.

Back in December 2021, activists spoke out against the construction of a new church on the embankment in Krasnodar; residents of the Yubileiny neighborhood also protested. Embankment defenders believe it is necessary to build educational and leisure facilities for children in the neighborhood. In January 2022, activist Yana Antonova held a solo picket against the transfer of a plot of land on the embankment to the Russian Orthodox Church for the construction of a church.

Meanwhile, utility workers spent the entire week sprucing up the YMR embankment. They repaired the playground, painted the railings, benches, and trash cans. They mowed the grass, including the grass growing through the paving stones, according to the publication.