TV-Tower Ostankino on Fire

A fire has broken out in the Moscow Ostankino TV-tower, according to Moskovski Komsomolets. The famous tower, a scene of the 1993 shootout between president Yeltsin and parliament, was set ablaze in 2000, killing tree people and halting national broadcasts.

Ostankino was last set ablaze in 2005, and fire safety is apparently becoming an increasing problem for the 40-year old building. This time though, the fire is not considered very serious, and it is limited to a segment at a 30-40 meter height of the tower.

With its 540 meters, Ostankino is one of the tallest - if not the tallest - buildings in Europe. It was inaugurated in 1967, and has remained a well-known part of the Moscow skyline. Ostankino was constructed by famous Russian building-engineer Nikolai Nikitin - creator of inter alia the Moscow State University high-raise, the Warzaw palace of culture and science, and the Volgograd "Motherland Calls" giant statue.

Russian Cathedral in Flames

Yesterday, the St. Petersburg Troitsky (Trinity) Cathedral was rampaged by a violent fire, destroying its main dome and severely damaging the entire church. Apparently, the blaze started in renovation scaffolding encircling the dome, and firefighters were helpless in their attempts to fight the raging fire due to lack of proper equipment. At least, the bulk of invaluable religious icons and artefacts was saved.

St. Petersburg has now been robbed of the landmark of the Troitsky Cathedral's blue dome. Overlooking one of St. Petersburg's central canals, the Troitsky Cathedral, since its constuction in 1835, was the church of the famous imperial Izmailovsky regiment. The church was renowned for its fine collection of icons, but after the revolution most of its treasures disappeared through looting, until Troitsky was finally closed in 1938.

For long the Cathedral was threatened by demolition by soviet authorities, but in the end it came to use as a warehouse. It was not until 1990 that Troitsky Cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Since then renovation has slowly been underway, which so tragically has now resulted in its partial destruction.

St. Petersburg authorities have already promised that Troitsky Cathedral will be reconstructed within 18 months. Official proclamations that Troitsky will be rebuilt in record time now provoke fears that such haste will put its important cultural and historical values in peril. Therefore, this is perhaps an opportunity for president Putin to show his true devotion to his native city of St. Petersburg by guaranting that Troitsky will really retain its role as a carrier of Russia's national heritage.