Support The Moscow Times!

Russian City Wants to Rename Street After Trump

AP

Residents of the Russian city of Ryazan have started a petition to name a street after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

“The recently elected U.S. President Donald Trump is a big friend of Russia and a defender of traditional values,” the petition launched on Change.org said.

The authors of the petition propose to rename an existing street in their city called Bezbozhnaya, which is Russian for “Godless,” — presumably a legacy of Soviet rule. 

“In itself the name 'Godless' contradicts Russian values and is offensive to the feeling of religious people,” the petition says.

On Friday, the petition had gathered 74 signatures, 26 short of the number required before the petition is sent to the city's local administration.

“With a street named after Donald Trump we can make Ryazan great again,” said one comment beneath the petition, playing on the GOP candidate's electoral slogan. “This will strengthen the friendship between our two brotherly nations,” said another.

Not everyone was equally enthusiastic. Echoing some Kremlin officials' own warnings that it is too soon to conclude a Trump presidency will be to Russia's advantage, one person wrote:

“You should've at least waited for Trump to take action, because the first thing he could do is to tighten sanctions, making you look like fools, but that would be nothing new.”

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more