Upon Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev and Head of Government Denis Pasler’s request, the region’s Ministry for Public Property Management drew up a letter to the Russian TV & Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS), asking for the unfinished TV tower in Yekaterinburg to be handed over from the federal authorities to the regional ones. Last week, Minister for Public Property Management Alexei Pyankov met head of RTRS Petr Podoinikov.

‘We came to a general agreement on handing the tower over to the regional authorities at no charge, in case the latter provide us with an equivalent land allotment. The papers are being approved at the moment. The decision is not expected to be made quickly, as the tower is managed by Rosimushchestvo, so this agency has to grant its approval,’ Pyankov said.

The minister also explained that the regional authorities were also thinking of how to use the tower.

‘Under the original project, it could be used for transmitting analogous signals, which is an absolutely obsolete technology at the moment. Obviously, one will have to focus on bringing the tower in compliance with the technical safety requirements and making it look more presentable,’ the minister observed.