CNN published the list of world's ugliest monuments on January 24th. The list included the monument called "Courage" in the city of Brest, Belarus
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The monument was opened in memory of the fighters killed in the Great Patriotic War
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The administration of the Brest Fortress memorial complex complained of the article on the American website
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According to the director of the complex, Gregory Bysyuk, the US-based company should at least apologize for desecrating the memory of those who died in WWII.
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The notorious article was penned by a freelance journalist. "He also serves as a reminder not to mess with Belarus - ever. Others say he simply looks constipated," the author wrote.
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A poster wrote in the comments section underneath the article that there was nothing ugly in the Belarusian monument. "This is a dedication to the great courage of soldiers. I believe that the expression on the man's face means that he could be shot any moment, and he was aware of it. People, please study history before judging something."
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"The Americans, they, in principle, are very dismissive to other countries' history, because they believe that there is only America that brings light to the world, and all the rest are barbarians that revolve around America and have to look the USA in the mouth and listen to every word the States says," an expert told Pravda.Ru.
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Nevertheless, CNN did apologize for this publication.
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A statement from CNN says: CNN has withdrawn the story "The world's ugliest monuments" because it was not of the standard we would expect of a CNN report.
The story caused unnecessary upset in Russia and Belarus with its description of the Courage Monument in Brest, Belarus.
CNN apologizes for the unintended offense caused by an article from a contributor that was intended to be a humorous look at monumental architecture worldwide.
We recognize that the Courage Monument carries deep and significant symbolism in honoring the soldiers who gave their lives defending their nation.
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