article_snippet: St Petersburg’s fiercely nationalist Cossack community to commemorate the allies’ victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
article_snippet: The clay mould was designed by a St. Petersburg sculptor, backed by the city's popular Cossack community .
article_snippet: Cossacks have grown in popularity in Russian since the fall of communism in the 80s and 90s.
article_snippet: Andrey Polykov, a local Cossack leader in St Petersburg, backed the creation of the Putin Statue.
article_snippet: Andrey Polyakov said Andrey Polyakov Cossack community had been planning for a long time to erect the Putin Statue .
highlights_snippet: Cossacks chose the St Petersburg statue to mark victory against Nazis .
  