More Than 5,000 Soviet-Era Apartment Buildings In Moscow To Be Demolished

A "Khrushchyovka" apartment block is demolished in Moscow earlier this year.

Moscow city officials say that some 5,144 Soviet-era apartment buildings will be demolished in the Russian capital in a controversial massive urban renewal project.

The plan on the Moscow Mayor's Office website on August 1 says more than 350,000 apartments will be demolished and the owners will get new apartments by 2032.

Reports said earlier that the controversial plan envisioned the demolition of some 4,500 apartment blocks.

Despite public protests against the renovation plans, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law authorizing the renovation plan on July 1.

The plan had brought thousands of protesters into the streets of central Moscow in May and June.

Moscow authorities have said the buildings -- most of which are known as Khrushchyovka -- are dilapidated and outdated, although many residents and activists see the plans as an excuse for the lucrative construction of high-rises in an already congested city with shrinking amounts of green spaces.