YEKATERINBURG, May 16. /TASS/. Some 33 people were detained in Russia’s Urals city of Yekaterinburg at an unauthorized rally at a construction site for the Saint Catherine’s Cathedral on Wednesday, the regional public security ministry told reporters.

Most protesters left the square in central Yekaterinburg by 01:00 Moscow Time, a TASS correspondent reported.

"According to the public security ministry, 33 people have been detained," the statement said.

Since May 13, protesters have been holding unauthorized rallies against the proposed construction site for the cathedral. The decision on building the cathedral not at a historic site, but at a nearby square was made in February 2019. The authorities say the citizens had backed the decision and all the necessary procedures had been observed.

The Saint Catherine’s Cathedral is expected to be built by 2023 when Yekaterinburg will mark its 300th anniversary.