Children are the Victims of Adult Vices is a group of sculptures created by Russian artist Mihail Chemiakin. The sculptures are located in a park in Bolotnaya Square, Balchug, 2000 feet south of the Moscow Kremlin behind the British Ambassador's residence.[1] Chemiakin said that, "[The sculpture] ... was conceived and carried out by me as a symbol and a call to fight for the salvation of present and future generations."[2]
The sculptures are of thirteen bronze figures, which depict adult vices, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, and prostitution, that affect children.[3] The figures are perceptibly closing in on two unaware playmates, a girl and a boy, with the centrepiece figure being 'Indifference'. The sculpture was commissioned by then-Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and sponsored by the state-owned oil company Rosneft. It was unveiled in 2001 amid some controversy. Some Muscovites worried that the graphic imagery would frighten children.[3][4]