MOSCOW, February 7 (RAPSI) – A member of the Federation Council’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Igor Morozov proposed a temporary block of CNN broadcasts in Russia in light of a recent scandal involving a World War II monument, the senator told RIA Novosti on Friday.

CNN had included the Courage monument in Belarus’ Brest Fortress among a list of the world’s ugliest monuments. The Courage Monument sits on the site of the first major battle between Soviet and German forces in June 1941. Soviet soldiers fought desperately to defend the fortress, and it has since become a symbol of Soviet resistance during the war. CNN describes the statue as giant and angry looking “as if he's about to thump the West into submission before hurling North America at the sun.”

“This sanction – a temporary ban on broadcasting CNN over cable networks in Russia – is necessary as a deterrent measure,” Morozov told RIA Novosti.

According to the senator, this will show CNN and other media agencies “the boundaries of their publicity” and give them a better understanding of “which evaluations are appropriate and which aren’t.”

Senator Morozov called the CNN rating “politically incorrect and offensive to the people of Russia.” The senator said that the monument was erected as a symbol of the Soviet nation’s might and resolve, triumphing in the WWII. “Brest Hero-Fortress – is the basis of our understanding of patriotism, heroics, love for your country, and the monument looks the way we interpret these values,” the senator concluded.

The remains of over 2,000 Soviet soldiers have been found in the fortress, though according to some estimates, more than 4,000 people died there.

RIA Novosti reported that CNN apologized Thursday for its inclusion of the monument on the list, saying that a CNN editor had appended a note to the article stating: “We understand that the inclusion of the Brest Hero-Fortress in this article from a contributor has caused offense in Belarus and Russia. This was unintended and we apologize.”