Russian town petitions to rename popular street after Trump

Despite recent sanctions the United States placed on Russia earlier this year, a former Soviet city shows they have no hard feelings with the president-elect, circulating a petition to rename a popular street after the incoming 45th president.

With almost three hundred citizens of the Russian city of Ryazan confirmed to have signed the position so far, the original "Godless Street" could possibly be renamed "Donald Trump Street." The origin of the current name traces back to the years of Communism in the Soviet Union when religion rejected.

Sergey Bixyukin, a 34-year-old resident of Ryazan who started the petition, says that people have signed the petition for a variety of reasons.

"Some saw it as a joke and signed because it was fun, some stood for normalization of US-Russia ties, and some signed because they don't like the name of Godless Street," Bizyukin told CNN.

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Though Bizyukin feels that Russia often unfairly depicts the US as a threat to the country, he believes that the residents of Ryazan have a much more positive perception.

Borrowing from Trump's presidential election campaign, Bizyukin's slogan accompanying the petition is to "Make Ryazin Great Again."

The town of roughly 500,000 people sits 125 miles outside of the country's capital of Moscow with electronics and oil refining resting as its top two major industries.

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"Like any other city, Ryazan has its share of problems in economy, with infrastructure," said Bizyukin. "Some of them are being sorted out, some are sorted out very slowly, and it may take a while to talk about some of the problems."

Bizyukin is joined by other residents who remain hopeful that the U.S. will build better ties with Russia under the Trump administration, fostering a stronger relationship between President-elect Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin respects Donald Trump exactly the same way Donald Trump respects Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin," one man said. "They have good ties."

However, despite positive emotions surrounding Trump's incoming administration, some Ryazan resident are not in favor of the street name being changed to honor him.

"I don't think it makes sense to rename it," one person stated. "What's going to change?"