A main avenue in Chechnya's capital, Grozny, has been named after Russian President Vladimir Putin, honoring the man who sent in troops to crush the territory's independence aspirations.
Previously Victory Avenue, the street now becomes Putin Avenue.
"This avenue is being renamed after Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin because he is the savior of the Chechen people.... He saved us from genocide," the pro-Moscow Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said at the Soviet-style ceremony, where thousands of residents had been brought in to wave balloons and placards.
-- Aslan Doukaev
Previously Victory Avenue, the street now becomes Putin Avenue.
"This avenue is being renamed after Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin because he is the savior of the Chechen people.... He saved us from genocide," the pro-Moscow Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said at the Soviet-style ceremony, where thousands of residents had been brought in to wave balloons and placards.
-- Aslan Doukaev