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In 2005 Kazan city, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, celebrated its millenium anniversary (although there are no certain reasons to suppose that the city was founded in 1005 and it was firstly mentioned in chronicles only in 1177).

Tatarstan is usually considered as most important from autonomous national republics in Russia, and the federal government assigned very huge funds for reconstruction of its capital. For example, a metro (underground railway) was constructed in it only for 8 years - from beginning of projecting till first passengers. Now Kazan's metro has five stations with metal detectors at entrances to them (!?) and very small passenger traffic, even in peak hours.

For other example I can mention rebuilding of mosque Kul Sharif in Kazan's kremlin.

But unfortunately, very big part of this federal funds was consumed not for reconstruction of old buildings, but for destroying of them. Of course, maybe, Tatarstan autorities are planning to construct modern buildings at these places, but now large areas at Kazan's center are staying in real ruins! :(

When we arrived to Kazan and began to walk by streets at its center, we were really shocked. Such amount of riuned buildings I see before only on TV news from Grozny in Chechnya, when it was being cleaned by army from terrorists, and in historical films about Stalingrad...