Putin to be honored with Roman emperor-style bust

President Vladimir Putin will be honored in his home city of St Petersburg with a Roman-style bust of the Russian leader, the Daily Mirror reported on Monday.

The statue, which will depict Putin wearing a toga in the style of a Roman emperor or philosopher, has already gone into production, the paper reported, adding that a prototype of the work is on display at the local academy of arts.

“We planned for quite a while to do a project like this in honor of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin,” project manager Andrey Polyakov said.

“Putin is the state’s wisdom, its courage, and its symbol which is embodied in the image of the Emperor that we have created,” he also said.

Although the move garnered criticism in Western Europe, Putin’s appeal in his home country has reportedly soared after Russia annexed Crimea in a move that prompted global sanctions against Moscow.

Putin was born on Oct. 7, 1952, in St Petersburg, when it was still known as Leningrad.

The final sculpture of Putin will be made in bronze and unveiled on May 9, Russia’s “Victory Day” marking when Nazi Germany fell to the Soviet Union.