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| Why this giant statue of Vladimir has sparked a public outcry in Moscow | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Rising 24 metres from the ground, the planned monument to Vladimir the Great will have a superlative view over all of Moscow. The problem for many Muscovites, however, is that much of the Russian capital will also have a compulsory view of Vladimir the Great. | Rising 24 metres from the ground, the planned monument to Vladimir the Great will have a superlative view over all of Moscow. The problem for many Muscovites, however, is that much of the Russian capital will also have a compulsory view of Vladimir the Great. |
| The statue commemorating the first Christian ruler of the early Slav state of Rus, seen as the precursor to modern Russia, is due to be erected on Sparrow Hills in November. Coming as part of a new patriotic drive to make Russians proud of their history, it marks 1,000 years since Vladimir’s death – but has caused a huge public outcry over claims that the statue will ruin the city’s skyline. | The statue commemorating the first Christian ruler of the early Slav state of Rus, seen as the precursor to modern Russia, is due to be erected on Sparrow Hills in November. Coming as part of a new patriotic drive to make Russians proud of their history, it marks 1,000 years since Vladimir’s death – but has caused a huge public outcry over claims that the statue will ruin the city’s skyline. |
| Tens of thousands of Muscovites have signed a petition against placing the monument on Sparrow Hills, after the decision to place it there was taken without public consultation. | Tens of thousands of Muscovites have signed a petition against placing the monument on Sparrow Hills, after the decision to place it there was taken without public consultation. |
| Vladimir, who came to power in Kiev after having his brother Yaropolk killed, was by all accounts a fast-living hedonist who had several wives and hundreds of concubines. It is believed he adopted Orthodox Christianity in the year 988, an event which marks the foundation of Slavic Christian culture. | Vladimir, who came to power in Kiev after having his brother Yaropolk killed, was by all accounts a fast-living hedonist who had several wives and hundreds of concubines. It is believed he adopted Orthodox Christianity in the year 988, an event which marks the foundation of Slavic Christian culture. |
| “There might be arguments about the historical role of Ivan the Terrible or Joseph Stalin or even Peter the Great, but in the case of Prince Vladimir, he’s undoubtedly a positive figure,” said the sculptor who is crafting the monument, Salavat Shcherbakov. | “There might be arguments about the historical role of Ivan the Terrible or Joseph Stalin or even Peter the Great, but in the case of Prince Vladimir, he’s undoubtedly a positive figure,” said the sculptor who is crafting the monument, Salavat Shcherbakov. |
| A twist is that the early Rus state Vladimir ruled over was based in Kiev. In Ukraine, President Poroshenko signed a decree stating 2015 should be celebrated as the 1,000th anniversary of the death of the “founder of Rus-Ukraina”. | A twist is that the early Rus state Vladimir ruled over was based in Kiev. In Ukraine, President Poroshenko signed a decree stating 2015 should be celebrated as the 1,000th anniversary of the death of the “founder of Rus-Ukraina”. |
| “It’s obvious that this isn’t an aesthetic or cultural decision, but a political one,” wrote Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy radio earlier this week, about the decision to erect a huge monument to Vladimir in Moscow. “It’s a message to the Ukrainian capital to say: ‘St Vladimir is ours, not yours.’” | “It’s obvious that this isn’t an aesthetic or cultural decision, but a political one,” wrote Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy radio earlier this week, about the decision to erect a huge monument to Vladimir in Moscow. “It’s a message to the Ukrainian capital to say: ‘St Vladimir is ours, not yours.’” |
| In Moscow, however, the planned monument to Vladimir has received a distinctly lukewarm welcome. At a debate organised by the Guardian in Moscow on Monday, many people spoke out against the monument, and even Olga Zakharova, the government-appointed director of Gorky Park, urged Muscovites to protest against its construction. | In Moscow, however, the planned monument to Vladimir has received a distinctly lukewarm welcome. At a debate organised by the Guardian in Moscow on Monday, many people spoke out against the monument, and even Olga Zakharova, the government-appointed director of Gorky Park, urged Muscovites to protest against its construction. |
| Historians say politicians in both Moscow and Kiev are using historical figures for their own ends | Historians say politicians in both Moscow and Kiev are using historical figures for their own ends |
| The magazine Afisha has suggested several alternative locations for the statue in a tongue-in-cheek photoshopped series designed to highlight the absurdity of the current plans. | The magazine Afisha has suggested several alternative locations for the statue in a tongue-in-cheek photoshopped series designed to highlight the absurdity of the current plans. |
| Schcherbakov said on Wednesday that no final decision has yet been taken, but conceded there could be other suitable locations in Moscow. In a sign that the public pressure has had an effect, the historical society which initiated the plans said this week that alternative locations might be considered. What is most important, said Shcherbakov, is that the statue finds a home somewhere in the capital. | Schcherbakov said on Wednesday that no final decision has yet been taken, but conceded there could be other suitable locations in Moscow. In a sign that the public pressure has had an effect, the historical society which initiated the plans said this week that alternative locations might be considered. What is most important, said Shcherbakov, is that the statue finds a home somewhere in the capital. |
| “It’s like George Washington for Americans. All countries have their historical figures and you have to respect them.” | “It’s like George Washington for Americans. All countries have their historical figures and you have to respect them.” |
| Since the annexation of Crimea by Russia last year, the figure of Prince Vladimir has been given more attention. Another Vladimir, Russia’s president Putin, during his annual address to the country’s political elites last December, said Crimea was sacred for Russia due to his namesake’s baptism there. | Since the annexation of Crimea by Russia last year, the figure of Prince Vladimir has been given more attention. Another Vladimir, Russia’s president Putin, during his annual address to the country’s political elites last December, said Crimea was sacred for Russia due to his namesake’s baptism there. |
| “The peninsula is of strategic importance for Russia as the spiritual source of the development of a multifaceted but solid Russian nation and a centralised Russian state,” said Putin. “It was in Crimea, in the ancient city of Chersonesus … that Grand Prince Vladimir was baptised before bringing Christianity to Rus.” | “The peninsula is of strategic importance for Russia as the spiritual source of the development of a multifaceted but solid Russian nation and a centralised Russian state,” said Putin. “It was in Crimea, in the ancient city of Chersonesus … that Grand Prince Vladimir was baptised before bringing Christianity to Rus.” |
| Historians say politicians in both Moscow and Kiev are using historical figures for their own ends, starting with Vladimir the Great and running all the way up to the disputed history of the second world war. | Historians say politicians in both Moscow and Kiev are using historical figures for their own ends, starting with Vladimir the Great and running all the way up to the disputed history of the second world war. |
| “There was no such thing as Russian or Ukraine in the 11th century,” said Simon Franklin, a professor of the Department of Slavic Studies at Cambridge University. “Culturally, they are both successors of the eastern Christian entity which emerged and flourished in the 10th to 13th centuries. Politically, neither is a direct political descendant.” | “There was no such thing as Russian or Ukraine in the 11th century,” said Simon Franklin, a professor of the Department of Slavic Studies at Cambridge University. “Culturally, they are both successors of the eastern Christian entity which emerged and flourished in the 10th to 13th centuries. Politically, neither is a direct political descendant.” |
| Franklin says that while Vladimir’s baptism “probably” took place in Crimea, the peninsula had nothing to do with the early Slav state, and remained a Byzantine colony long after Vladimir’s baptism. It was only seven centuries later, when Catherine the Great annexed the territory for Russia, that it truly became part of the Russian Empire. | Franklin says that while Vladimir’s baptism “probably” took place in Crimea, the peninsula had nothing to do with the early Slav state, and remained a Byzantine colony long after Vladimir’s baptism. It was only seven centuries later, when Catherine the Great annexed the territory for Russia, that it truly became part of the Russian Empire. |
| Putin, however, said Vladimir’s baptism means Crimea has “invaluable civilisational and even sacral importance for Russia, like the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for the followers of Islam and Judaism.” | Putin, however, said Vladimir’s baptism means Crimea has “invaluable civilisational and even sacral importance for Russia, like the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for the followers of Islam and Judaism.” |
| On a chilly spring day in March, there were few tourists at Khersones, the site of Vladimir’s apparent baptism, near Sevastopol. But plans are under way to make it a major destination for the millions of Russian tourists expected to descend on Moscow’s new acquisition in coming years. | On a chilly spring day in March, there were few tourists at Khersones, the site of Vladimir’s apparent baptism, near Sevastopol. But plans are under way to make it a major destination for the millions of Russian tourists expected to descend on Moscow’s new acquisition in coming years. |
| Work is also under way on a patriotic film about Vladimir’s baptism, directed by Vladimir Bortko, who is an MP for the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. “Of course I think it will be a patriotic film that will help to strengthen our country,” he said. | Work is also under way on a patriotic film about Vladimir’s baptism, directed by Vladimir Bortko, who is an MP for the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. “Of course I think it will be a patriotic film that will help to strengthen our country,” he said. |
| The budget for the film is around $20m, but Bortko said production has run into trouble since the economic situation has worsened. He also called for the date of Vladimir’s baptism to become a new national holiday. | The budget for the film is around $20m, but Bortko said production has run into trouble since the economic situation has worsened. He also called for the date of Vladimir’s baptism to become a new national holiday. |