The monument to Odesa founder Russian Empress Catherine II is now being protected by a special police guard. Two guards will be on duty at all times, wearing helmets and carrying firearms, truncheons and handcuffs -- at a cost to the state budget of Hr 551,000 annually, according to the results of the tender published by the governnment state procurement newsletter. The news was met with ridicule by people in Odesa, the Black Sea port known for many good qualities but also its high crime rate
