Russia's Foreign Ministry has condemned Georgia for its demolition of a WWII memorial in Georgia, in which two people died, calling it a provocation to the international community.
An eight-year-old girl and her mother were killed during Saturday's demolition of the Glory Memorial in Kutaisi, when explosives used to topple the structure sent large chunks of concrete hurtling into a residential area.
"A memorial to World War soldiers was barbarously demolished in Kutaisi. The Georgian authorities committed an act of public vandalism, humiliating the feelings of any civilized person," the Russian ministry said on its website.
Georgian authorities say the memorial was removed to make way for a new parliamentary building.
The ministry described the botched demolition as "yet another shameful act" on the part of Tbilisi. The statement accused the regime of President Mikhail Saakashvili of "manic ambitions to erase the historical memory of its own nation."
The Georgian government has 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.
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, and opposition activists staged protests.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Tbilisi had thrown down a challenge to the entire international community, defying the latest resolution by the UN General Assembly condemning the destruction of WWII memorials.
MOSCOW, December 21 (RIA Novosti)
