A half-finished TV tower in Russia is demolished

The tower was the world's tallest abandoned building for a while and the biggest structure in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg

The construction of the 220m-tall (720 ft) TV tower in Yekaterinburg, Russia, begun in 1983 and was ongoing until 1991, but due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the funding that was cut off, the structure was never completed. It was the tallest abandoned building in the world in the 1990s and the highest point in the city –its most famous landmark as well-, but the authorities and residents failed to find a use for it. Last March though, the half-finished tower was demolished in an attempt to beautify the city, as the country is preparing for this year’s FIFA World Cup.

Debates on the decision

Many of Yekaterinburg’s residents opposed to the tower’s destruction, arguing that the concrete structure had been a symbol of the city’s identity. “Now it’s the symbol of the people’s humiliation at the hands of the authorities because the decision was made behind-the-scenes. It shouldn’t be done this way”, says Ivan Volkov, a 39-year-old lawyer and head of the opposing committee. On the other hand, local governor Eugene Kuivashev defended the decision to demolish it. “No one seriously believes that the city needs such a symbol,” he said in a radio interview.