WWII memorial demolished in Kutaisi, Georgia

The Military Glory memorial commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory in WWII in Kutaisi, Georgia, a day before the explosion.

Two ruined columns and rubble where the 600-ton structure once stood.

A bronze horseman, which had been part of the memorial, was moved to the yard of a neighboring house a week before the demolition. The sculpture was made in Leningrad, and was designed by the Georgian sculptor Merab Berdzenishvili, who said of the demolition: “In destroying this stone, the authorities have returned to the Stone Age.”

The explosion propelled fragments hundreds of meters through the air away from the memorial.

The blast wave shattered windows in neighboring houses.

A woman and her 8-year-old daughter stood here, behind the garage, to watch the demolition.

They were killed by a cement fragment like this, which was propelled over 300 meters.

The son of Givi Gureshidze, who died in WWII, said: “They are barbarians. Today they demolished this memorial, tomorrow they may erect a monument to Hitler.”

The place where the Glory Memorial stood has been fenced off for security purposes, while demining specialists complete their work.

Georgian authorities say that the Glory Memorial was demolished to clear the site for a new parliament building. This is how it will look.