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The President paid tribute to Tatyana Sapunova for her courageous act. On May 27, 2002, she was driving in her car along the Kievskoye Shosse. At the 32nd kilometre of the road, noticing a sign with an anti-Semitic slogan on the roadside, she stopped to remove it. When the woman tried to pull it out of the ground, a blast detonated, equivalent to 50–100 grammes of TNT, according to the investigation.
President Putin described Sapunova’s action as the highest act of civic consciousness, which was of great importance for the country morally.
Extremism undermines the foundations of any society; and for such a multi-faith and multi-ethnic state as Russia, the phenomenon is absolutely baneful. If citizens allow the terrible germ of chauvinism, ethnic or religious intolerance to develop, the country would fall to pieces, the President stressed.
President Putin wished Ms Sapunova early recovery and said he had signed a decree awarding her the Order of Courage.
July 25, 2002, The Kremlin, Moscow