The Romanov Memorial Foundation explained why they oppose the transfer of the Porosenkov Log to the Russian Orthodox Church.

      In exchange for a modest, inconspicuous memorial with an Orthodox cross, but almost secular, at the site of the discovery of the remains of Nicholas II and members of his family in Porosenkov Log, a new spiritual and educational center of the Russian Orthodox Church, similar to the Ganina Yama monastery, may emerge. Preparations indicating the possibility of such a turn of events have been quietly underway for several years. This was mentioned by Ilya Korovin, the director of the Romanov Memorial Foundation, in a video posted on the Foundation's resource back in June, anticipating news about the transfer of these lands to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

      The Romanov Memorial Charity Foundation opposes the ROC's monopoly on the graves of the last Russian emperor and members of the royal family. According to its leader, Ilya Korovin, Porosenkov Log is the last unaltered site that preserves the true memory of the Romanovs' demise. Korovin believes that the ROC is incapable of preserving the monument without compromising its historical value. He is convinced that Porosenkov Log, in its current form, will disappear.

      He reminded that during the construction of the spiritual and educational center "Ganina Yama Monastery" on the territory of the mine, where there was an attempt to conceal the bodies of the Romanovs, the Ganina Yama lake, which gave the monastery its toponym, disappeared. Bulldozers removed all cultural layers around the perimeter of the complex, claims Korovin.

      Evidence that something similar could happen at the site of the Romanov Memorial emerged in 2022. According to Korovin, the Foundation learned about the existence of contracts with a construction contractor that was to carry out preparatory work in Porosenkov Log, including, in particular, digging a pit for the foundation. The Rosreestr confirmed to the Foundation that such a contract exists, dated May 15, 2026. By early June, it was already registered in the Roskadastr system.

      As Korovin stated, previously all examinations related to the "Yekaterinburg remains" were conducted by the state. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the ROC became involved in this process after 2015, initiating a new criminal case from scratch, says Korovin. However, the newly engaged specialists came to the same conclusions—the remains belong to the Romanovs. Despite the fact that the ROC has not yet officially recognized this circumstance, its representatives have been working for the past 10 years to transfer land plots of the Railway Forest Park—a specially protected natural area (SPNA), where the Romanov Memorial, recognized as a cultural heritage site (CHS), is located.

      Since 2023, representatives of the ROC have visited the Memorial site several times, accompanied by designers. As Ilya Korovin mentioned in his video, in both known cases, they were nuns from the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery. "What are they coming to design?" Korovin questions. He noted that the ROC has not yet repented for its long-standing non-recognition of the royal remains and the discoveries related to their finding.

      "On what basis [is the land being transferred]? Did the ROC recognize the remains? Was there an official statement? Did an Archpastoral Council take place? There is nothing. What is happening?" says Ilya Korovin.

      Korovin is convinced that in the matter of transferring the lands of the Railway Forest Park, both the head of the district and the Department of Forestry, which approved this decision, are on the side of the ROC. "And what does Governor Denis Pasler think about this? Why is he silent? Does he know what is happening?" expressed Ilya Korovin's doubts.

      "We have fought for the Romanov Memorial for many years, and we will continue to fight. The Romanov Memorial should become a historical and cultural reserve, in the interests of society as a whole. It is a national, public asset. It must be preserved in its natural state, which the ROC has never been able to ensure on its owned sites," Korovin expressed the position of the Romanov Memorial Foundation.

      Korovin reminds that according to the legislation, the right to determine what constitutes a grave lies with the relatives. "And they exist for the Romanovs and have visited Yekaterinburg multiple times," he points out.

      "History has arranged it so that Nicholas II has two graves," explains the director of the Romanov Memorial Foundation in the video. The main part of the remains is buried in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, but part of the emperor's ashes remains in Porosenkov Log.

      Recall that it became known the day before about the transfer of 70 hectares of land in the Railway Forest Park to the Yekaterinburg Diocese. The Porosenkov Log, where the remains of the royal family were discovered by researchers during the Soviet era, is located within this forest park.