ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Russian artists who lease studio space from the city of St. Petersburg will continue to pay heavily discounted rents.
A law mandating low rents for artists went into effect this month and affects about 2,000 apartments. But the city has won the right to inspect artists' studios and the apartments of writers, architects, composers, and designers and to evict anyone not using the spaces for professional purposes.
An announcement last June that discounted rents would be revoked sent thousands of protestors into the city's streets and squares, prompting city officials to negotiate a compromise with 14 local unions, including the powerful Union of Artists and the Union of Writers. As a result, a settlement agreeable to all parties was announced in December followed by drafting of the new law.
