Saturday was clear and sunny, but the central streets of Kazan were not crowded. Only police patrols are found every hundred meters. It seems that many residents decided in advance not to leave home, just in case. Unprecedented security measures have been taken. During the days of the summit, traffic in the center will be blocked, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions will be closed, and a kind of vacation will be organized for the majority of Kazan residents. For civil servants, these are paid days off, for students, distance education, and for schoolchildren, the autumn holidays have been brought forward by a week. When leaving, local residents must carry a passport with them.
From October 19 to 24, riding electric scooters and rental bicycles was prohibited in the center of Kazan. These services have been temporarily suspended.
The city itself, already beautiful and well maintained, has been, as they say, cleaned to a sparkling state. Here the facades of 38 houses were renovated for the summit. Almost 300 buildings were decorated with artistic lighting and 56 15-meter floating fountains were installed on the Bulak canal. 18 parks and squares were built. The roads on which 157 new buses and 38 trolleybuses circulate have been repaired.
BRICS symbols are found at almost every step, but the Kazan Kremlin is especially successful in this. By the way, during the summit it will also be closed to the public, but in the meantime the territory of the museum-reserve is full of life. And guests at the summit are already joining the flow of Russian tourists, whose delegations are gradually arriving in the city. Among them, judging by the equipment, are our fellow journalists, who combine filming reports with studying places of interest. I also met a large group of MGIMO students who were taking photos with the university flag with the Kazan Kremlin as a backdrop. At the BRICS summit, aspiring international specialists will have an excellent opportunity to practice.
