The administration of Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, has issued new guidelines stating that “Last Address” plaques are being installed in violation of city regulations. According to a document reviewed by the publication Vecherniye Vedomosti, the installation of these plaques has not been authorised by the mayor’s office. The authorities have also criticised the appearance of the plaques, stating that, in their view, they are too small, difficult to read, “clutter” building façades and spoil their architectural appearance.

The recommendations themselves are not legally binding, but the head of the city’s architecture department has instructed staff to follow them in their work.

It is not yet known whether the new document will affect plaques already installed. However, in recent years, the project has increasingly faced pressure. For example, last year prosecutors found that the installation of memorial plaques violated the rights of residents of the building.

“Last Address” is a community project commemorating victims of political repression. Small metal plaques are placed on the houses where people who fell victim to political repression during the Soviet era lived. The first such plaques appeared in Yekaterinburg almost ten years ago, in August 2016. There are now 27 commemorative markers in the city.