OREANDA-NEWS  Muscovites defended their own garages. Residents of the capital asked to take the buildings under protection, including them in the UNESCO World Heritage List, Moskvich Mag writes.

A request to that effect has already been sent to an international organization. Thus, residents of the Sviblovo district are trying to resist the massive demolition of garages due to the integrated territorial development program. Activists explain the cultural value of the structures by saying that garages serve as a personal space for stress relief, harmonize marriage, and reduce family budget expenses. In addition, the garage is a center of male socialization and generational continuity, Muscovites emphasize.

The dismantling of garages, according to social activists, causes a decrease in the birth rate and an increase in the number of divorces. The destruction of structures means the destruction of an entire ecosystem that has supported the demographic and social health of society for decades, the document says. "By depriving a man of his place of power, we deprive him of an important tool for psychological adaptation, which inevitably affects the atmosphere in the family," the authors of the appeal are convinced.

Earlier in Russia, it was proposed to write off mortgage debt in order to increase the birth rate. Another option for solving the demographic issue is to cancel the initial loan payment for young families.