Russian Lawmaker Demands 'Pornographic' Apollo Removed From Banknote

A nationalist lawmaker has found elements of pornography on a Russian 100-ruble bill, asking that an image of the Greek God Apollo be struck from the banknote in accordance with a law protecting children from potentially damaging information, a news report said. In his letter to the Central Bank, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Roman Khudyakov said the statue of Apollo from the Bolshoi Theater portico showed "intimate parts of the body" and that the banknote should come with an "18+" rating, such as films deemed too explicit for minors, Izvestia reported Tuesday. Given the likelihood of children setting eyes upon the 100-ruble bill, which is worth about $2.90, Ivchenko argued the banknote should feature something more child-friendly — such as a picture of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea, which Russia annexed in March, Izvestia reported. "As bills of that denomination often get into the hands of children as pocket money, I strongly request your help in changing the design of the banknote or otherwise bringing it into accordance with current legislative regulations," Khudyakov was quoted as saying in his letter, which Izvestia said it had obtained. The statue of Apollo at the Bolshoi was — to some controversy — covered with a prudish fig leaf when the theater was renovated a few years ago, and Khudyakov noted in his letter that the image on the bill no longer matched its original, the report said. Lawyers concurred that based on Russia's current legal definitions and codes, the lawmaker may be technically right, Izvestia reported.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/lawmaker-wants-pornographic-apollo-removed-from-100-ruble-note/503130.html