Putin takes part in opening of monument to Russian Tsar Alexander III in Crimea
On November 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the opening of a monument to Russian Tsar Alexander III on the grounds of the Livadia Palace in Yalta, Russian news agencies reported.
According to media reports, the following officals attended the ceremony: the Plenipotentiary of the Russian president to the Southern Federal District, Vladimir Ustinov; the Kremlin-controlled head of the Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov; the Russian Governor of Sevastopol, Dmitry Ovsyannikov; the Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and the Crimea; and the Mufti of the Muslims of Crimea, Emirali Ablaev.
"Alexander III loved Russia, and believed in it. And in opening a monument today, we pay tribute to his deeds, accomplishments and merits. We express our respect for the inseparable history of our country, of people of all ranks and estates, who honestly served the Fatherland. I am confident that the present and future generations, like our great ancestors, will do everything for the well-being and prosperity of the Fatherland," Putin said, according to Kryminform.
The monument was erected on the site of the Small Livadia Palace, which was built in the second half of the 19th century and destroyed during the Second World War. Alexander III died on October 20, 1894 in the study of the Small Livadia Palace.
In March of this year, Crimean authorities demolished the existing tennis courts and a dance floor for the installation of a monument to the emperor.
Livadia Palace was the summer residence of the last tsar of the Russian Empire, Nicholas II and his family. In 1945, a meeting of the anti-Hitler coalition - the Yalta Conference, attended by Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill – was held there.
The museum complex has been opened for visitors since 1974. The Livadia Palace has received the status of one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine.