RAW: Disused TV tower demolished in Ekaterinburg, Russia, ahead of World Cup

A disused TV tower in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg was demolished on Saturday as part of reconstruction plans for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The demolition took place despite protests from locals who believed the eye-catching structure had become a recognizable part of the city’s heritage. Construction on the tower began in 1983 but was halted in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was believed to be the world’s tallest abandoned structure, standing at 214 metres with 26 floors and no lift. Local media report that the structure will be replaced with an ice-hockey arena that can seat up to 15,000 fans. Check out http://rt.com RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=RussiaToday Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews Follow us on Telegram https://t.me/rtintl Follow us on VK https://vk.com/rt_international Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com Follow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/rt Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RT RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark.