A iron knight statue, discovered at the bottom of Lake Baikal near the tourist town of Listvyanka, caused a stir early in the month when freediver Mark Kisurin published a video of his dive.
According to local media, the two-meter-tall knight, found about 40 meters from the shore, was erected as a tribute to scientist Grigori Galasi, who made a significant contribution to the exploration of Lake Baikal. However, the identity of the person who set it up remains unclear. A diving school, initially named as the creator of the installation, has since denied its involvement, but assured that the figure does not pose a threat and is no more hazardous than, for example, a sunken anchor.
The underwater artwork on the bottom of the world’s deepest lake, however, has sparked resistance from the local population, who fear it might disrupt the unique nature of the water body. “The ones clean the ground, the others. they see it themselves” commented indignant residents. “What is the point of it? What is the purpose?”
The local prosecutor’s office has now launched an investigation and had the knight removed on Monday.
Kisurin expressed surprise to local media about the media echo. “The people who live around Lake Baikal have no idea that the lake’s bottom is littered with overflown boats, cars, railroad cars, old metal from the pre-revolutionary era, wood, pillars, and household trash: cans, bottles, tires. People throw that away every weekend.”
“‘When they saw the knight, they suddenly got upset. That’s very illogical,'” Kisurin said.