Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree renaming the Shaitanka River, which is located in Salekhard, to Preobrazhenka. The corresponding order was published on the official portal of legal information.
In 2022, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built on the river embankment. According to Yamal-Media, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, suggested renaming the river, as he did not like the fact that the cathedral would be located next to Shaitanka — in some cultures, the word «shaitan» is associated with evil.
In September 2022, a group of public activists proposed to rename the river — the local authorities conducted a survey of the population, after which they chose the option «Preobrazhenka».
At the same time, many Salekhard residents opposed the renaming of the river. Local residents insisted that the former name had historical significance. “Shaitanka — what a kind, endearing name. In the Khanty language, this is the river of the gods. This name is inextricably linked with the Angalsky Cape, the Cape of the Gods, which was once the most sacred place for the Khanty and Nenets, ”wrote one of the commentators on the news about the renaming of the river on VKontakte.