Plans to build a church in honor of Russia’s war dead in a riverside park in the southern city of Krasnodar have sparked a rare protest by local people, who publicly appealed to President Vladimir Putin to prevent it from going ahead. Video posted online showed a resident reading the appeal to a large crowd, who chanted their approval. The message urged Putin to preserve the park in the Yubileiny district, next to the Kuban river, as a green space for their children and grandchildren to enjoy.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. “We are not against religion. We are in favor of the law,” it said. “The authorities are not listening to us. We are forced to shout. Yubileiny is against this development.” It was not clear when the public meeting took place. Protests of any kind are rare in Russia, which has intensified a clampdown on virtually all forms of dissent since the invasion of Ukraine