Rostov residents demanded a response from the authorities regarding the felling of trees near a cultural monument.

Residents of Rostov-on-Don have collected over 2,200 signatures for a petition to the governor demanding an end to the felling of trees near the Surb Khach cultural monument.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on the evening of May 28, unknown individuals cut down trees in Rostov-on-Don near the Surb Khach church and near the water intake superstructure (a structure over a spring). Activists reported that unknown individuals are also conducting excavation work to build a refectory there.

Activists in Rostov-on-Don have collected over 2,200 signatures on a petition to the governor demanding the return of the Surb Khach spring, an 18th-century historical and cultural monument, to public ownership, according to activist Elena Khatlamadzhiyan.

"In one week, 2,280 signatures were collected on 136 sheets. This is a record," she wrote today on her Telegram channel.

Activists sent a collective letter to Rostov Region Governor Yuri Slyusar. They demanded that a criminal case be opened for the felling of trees on the territory of the Surb Khach spring, Khatlamadzhiyan noted.

In another publication, she reported that tree felling on the territory of the spring continues. "If someone cuts down green spaces without permits or undermines the foundation of a monument, it will still be a violation, no matter what you call it," she emphasized.

Khatlamadzhiyan explained that local residents and activists have nothing to do with the felling, and the work being carried out is precisely felling, not pruning. As evidence, she attached several photos showing stumps from freshly cut trees.

As of 1:40 p.m. Moscow time, there were no comments on the Rostov Region administration website regarding the demand by Rostov residents to stop cutting down trees in the area of ​​the Surb Khach spring.

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