St. Vladimir: Moscova, May 2015

      A controversy has erupted in Moscova over St. Vladimir.  Seems some locals are not happy with the Federation's plans to erect an 82' high statue of the image of Russya's patron saint, St. Vladimir.  Now, what's behind this issue?  Really.
      Vladimir the Great, aka Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev, ruler of Kievan Rus' from years 980 to 1015.  His father was Prince Sviatoslav of the Rurik Dynasty.  He was married to Malfrida, Rogneda of Polotsk, Allogia.  He and Malfrida were prolific in the true sense of the term.  They  begot 17 children-12 sons and 5 daughters.  Impressive in that alone.  Old fat Josep Stalin would have awarded them "hero of the Soviet Union"  status on those grounds by themselves.  He was accorded sainthood around 1258 by the Orthodox Church as a defender of the Church.  That status is recognized around the world, even in San Francisco, California at the Orthodox Church.  So, now, why?

New 'Doo' for Vlad: Cool

          

       President Vladimir wants to create a connection in the mind of his critics over his Crimean/Ukraine adventures.  Now this comes at a time when FIFA scandals are whipping across the globe, tainting all things soccer, all things World Cup, and all things related to the awarding of venues for the games in 2018(Russya) and 2022(Qatar).   Vlady commented that this is just another USA slight against Russya and himself: the face of NovoRuss.
       Some Moscovites believe the size and placement of an 82' statue would damage one of the city's great views(are you kidding me?)  Some say it's too big; others claim it's too small.  But all agree it's a brazen attempt to sway opinions of geopolitical thought.  True.  Even as Kremlin- controlled TV has dropped extensive use of the term novorussya as it applies to Ukraine(Donbass) and Crimea.
He's acting more and more like somebody we knew about 70+ years ago in central Europe.