The wax statue of Russian President Vladimir Putin was removed from the Grévin Museum in Paris following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
What made the diminutive Russian president persona non grata? The museum director Yves Delhommeau spoke about the choice to remove the statue, saying that they don't want him because of current events. Also, the wax figure had been attacked multiple times over the weekend.
"It's the first time at the Grévin Museum that a statue has been removed in this way, so quickly, because of historical events currently underway," Delhommeau said. "Of course, it will be preserved, it will not be melted down even if it is wax."
The statue of Putin was created in 2000 and will be kept in a storage warehouse.
Putin's statue had been standing among other world leaders, including United States President Joe Biden, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and China’s Xi Jinping.
"Vladimir Putin was here, and yes he has just been removed from the Grévin Museum in Paris," Delhommeau said. "Why is that? Well, current events means we don't want him here and the staff don't want to walk past him every day.
"He was attacked a few times this weekend, and we received a few threats on the phone, so it was better to remove him from among the world leaders. We have never represented dictators like Hitler in the Grévin Museum, we don't want to represent Putin today."
There is now a large gap between Biden and Jinping, but don't worry it probably won't last for long. Delhommeau said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could take Putin's place. Ouch.
"Maybe president Zelensky will take his place... he has become a hero for having resisted and for not fleeing his country. He could perfectly well take his place his among the great men of history and today," Delhommeau said, according to Reuters.
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