Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday studied the six best WWII architectural projects to be built in Moscow to replace the one blown up in Georgia last year.
During the demolition on December 19 of the Glory Memorial in Kutaisi, Georgia, an eight-year-old girl and her mother were killed, when explosives used to topple the structure sent large chunks of concrete hurtling over a wide area.
Six final projects were chosen out of 25 initial ones submitted to an expert committee for Putin's approval. More than 50,000 Internet users also voted for the best project over a month.
A foundation for the preservation of WWII monuments, Historical Heritage, and the Union of Georgians in Russia turned to Moscow authorities to build an analog of the monument near Victory Park in Moscow.
On May 8, Putin participated in laying the cornerstone of the new monument.
Between May and June, Historical Heritage held two radio marathons and collected some 5 million rubles ($161,000) to finance the project.
Georgian authorities say the memorial was removed to make way for a new parliamentary building.
The government said that the relocation of the Georgian parliament from Tbilisi to Kutaisi will boost the development of western Georgia. However, the move has sparked protests among Kutaisi residents and the Georgian opposition.
Moscow earlier said Tbilisi had provoked the entire international community, defying the latest resolution by the UN General Assembly condemning the destruction of WWII memorials.
More than 700,000 Georgians fought during WWII, and approximately 300,000 were killed.
MOSCOW, July 5 (RIA Novosti)
