Construction on a new Orthodox cathedral in the city of Yekaterinburg has been temporarily halted, following stepped up demonstrations by local residents, who oppose the loss of green space where the church is being built. The matter reached all the way up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that “… everyone has a right to their opinion”.
At the same time, he added that a possible local referendum on the issue affects only local residents, and not activists from other areas, which he said arrived only to make a fuss.
Finally, the Russian president said that the minority must respect the opinion of the majority in this case.