‘American symbol’ repainted in Russian region
A statue of a white-headed bird of prey has been repainted in the city of Kurchatov in Russia's Kursk Region after locals identified it as resembling the bald eagle depicted on the Great Seal of the US.
The sculpture was installed in a city park this past June. However, many residents noticed that the eagle closely resembled the national symbol of the US and expressed their disapproval, demanding that it be removed. Kursk Region borders Ukraine and is often subjected to bombing and drone attacks. The US has been a major supplier of weapons to Kiev.
“This is not our eagle. It’s an American one! Let it fly there. It has nothing to do in Russia,” urged one citizen on social media.
The local authorities responded to the discontent by deciding to repaint the white head of the raptor brown, making it monochrome, according to a local news report on Saturday.
The eagle became the symbol of the US in 1782. According to Charles Thomson, the first secretary of the Continental Congress, who designed the Great Seal, “it symbolizes strength, unity, and independence,” while the olive branch and arrows in the eagle’s claws represent “the power of peace and war.”
According to a poll published by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center last year, 71% of those surveyed said they viewed the US ‘negatively’ US, while 47% viewed it ‘very negatively’.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday that the US was waging a war against Russia, acting “with the hands and bodies” of Ukraine, hoping to inflict a “strategic defeat on Russia.”
“Whatever they say, they are managing this war, they are supplying weapons, ammunition, intelligence, satellite data. They are waging a war against us,” the Russian minister stressed.
Media reports indicate that the US is considering supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to this by saying that transferring such weapons to Kiev would represent a serious escalation and lead to even more casualties.
