Russia condemned on Saturday the demolition of a memorial to WWII heroes in Georgia as an act of barbarism and state vandalism.
Two people were killed in an explosion earlier on Saturday when the monument was demolished in Georgia's second largest city, Kutaisi. According to media reports, the deaths had evidently resulted from violation of safety regulations.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Georgian authorities "have committed an act of state vandalism, offending the feelings of any civilized person."
Kutaisi authorities started demolishing the memorial several days ago to construct a parliament building.
Russia's Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily suggested on Wednesday they sought to complete the demolition by December 21, President Mikheil Saakashvili's birthday.
The government has said that the relocation of the Georgian parliament from Tbilisi to Kutaisi will boost the development of western Georgia, but the move has sparked protests among Kutaisi residents and the Georgian opposition.
Sculptor Merab Berdzenishvili, the creator of the war memorial, said the demolition is an insult to the memory of thousands of Georgian soldiers who gave their lives in World War II.
The authorities have pledged to erect a new memorial, saying that the old one was already partially destroyed and cannot be restored.
MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti)
