Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he hoped anti-Russian sentiment would fade in former Soviet states.
Putin spoke at the unveiling ceremony of a World War II memorial in Moscow to "replace" a memorial blown up in the Georgian city of Kutaisi last year.
"These tendencies will taper off under the pressure of common sense and public opinion," Putin said.
The ceremony in the capital's Poklonnaya Gora memorial park was also attended by the Georgian opposition leaders Nino Burdzhanadze and Zurab Nogaideli.
"The tragic events of the past few years and the demolition of [World War II] monuments are...essentially a continuation of the policies followed by the current Georgian leadership," Putin said. "Unfortunately, similar tendencies can be seen in several other former Soviet states."
The 46-meter Soviet-era WWII memorial in Kutaisi, Georgia's second-largest city, was demolished to make space for a new parliamentary building. Russia denounced the demolition as an "act of vandalism," accusing Georgia of a "symbolic attack" on the memory of Georgians who died in the war.
Long-running tensions between Russia and Georgia culminated in a five-day war in August 2008 over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia.
MOSCOW, December 21 (RIA Novosti)
