Authorities in Georgia have taken down a statue of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin that stood in the central square of Gori, his hometown.
The six metre (20ft) bronze statue was removed unannounced from its plinth in the middle of the night.
The statue will be moved to a museum in Gori dedicated to Stalin, said the head of the city council, Zviad Khmaladze.
It will be replaced by a monument for the victims of Georgia's 2008 war with Russia.
Sure, fans of Stalin and pro-Russian elements in Georgia would like the statute to remain. He's still their hero, after all.
But can't those who rightly view Russia as an enemy (did the August 2008 war not confirm that?) also defend the statue of Stalin?
After all, even the most anti-Russian Georgian can't hope to kill as many Russians as Stalin did during his reign of terror.
