Russian President unveils controversial statue

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin unveiled a giant statue of a 10^th century Prince St Vladimir who was a great revered leader and an Orthodox church saint according to AFP.

“Prince Vladimir has gone down forever in history as the unifier and defender of Russian lands, as a visionary politician,” Putin told officials as Russia marked its national Unity Day holiday on Friday
The Prince is credited with the introduction of Orthodox Christianity. The Orthodox Church supported the erection of the statue.

Locals and conservationists have criticized the statue since it might blot Moscow’s historic centre.  The monument is a few metres from the Kremlin walls prompting UNESCO’s concerns that it might jeopardize the Kremlin’s status as a World Heritage Site. The monument was erected after being blocked from being placed on a prominent hill overlooking the city.

The figure of Vladimir — a warlord who killed his brother and, according to legend, had some 800 concubines — has become increasingly politicised since Moscow seized Crimea from ex-Soviet neighbour Ukraine reports AFP.

Ukraine’s capital Kiev has honored Vladimir with a large statue, Kieve is in a bitter standoff with Moscow claiming that Vladimir had no historic links to Moscow, which did not exist during his lifetime, and point out that the kingdom he ruled was based around the modern Ukrainian capital Kiev.