A new Russian cathedral dedicated to the Armed Forces will be adorned with mosaics depicting Vladimir Putin and Joseph Stalin.

Standing at 95 metres tall, the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral will become the third largest Orthodox Christian church in the world when it opens at the military-themed Patriot Park outside Moscow on 9 May.

The official opening will take place the same day Russia marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

The interior of the church, which has six golden domes, has been decorated with traditional religious paintings.

But there are also a number of bright mosaics depicting the Russian president and other officials, as well as the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction Show all 10 1 /10 Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction A still image taken from video footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry shows the interior of Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces, which is under construction in Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia. The cathedral is being built for the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Second World War. EPA/Russian Defence Ministry Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction epa08381850 A still image taken from a handout video footage released 24 April 2020 by the Russian Defence Ministry shows interior of Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces, which is under construction in Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia. The cathedral is being built for the 75th anniversary of the Victory in World War II. EPA/RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE/HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE EPA/Russian Defence Ministry Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction epa08381847 A still image taken from a handout video footage released 24 April 2020 by the Russian Defence Ministry shows Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces, which is under construction in Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia. The cathedral is being built for the 75th anniversary of the Victory in World War II. EPA/RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE/HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE EPA/Russian Defence Ministry Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction epa08381849 A still image taken from a handout video footage released 24 April 2020 by the Russian Defence Ministry shows an arial view of Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces, which is under construction in Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia. The cathedral is being built for the 75th anniversary of the Victory in World War II. EPA/RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE/HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE EPA/Russian Defence Ministry Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction epa08381852 A still image taken from a handout video footage released 24 April 2020 by the Russian Defence Ministry shows interior of Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces, which is under construction in Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia. The cathedral is being built for the 75th anniversary of the Victory in World War II. 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EPA/Vadim Savitsky HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES Vadim Savitsky EPA/Russian Defence Ministry Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction epa08381951 A handout picture made available by the press service of the Russian Defence Ministry shows the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces, which is under construction in the Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia, 22 April 2020 . The cathedral is being built for the 75th anniversary of the Victory in World War II. EPA/Vadim Savitsky HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES Vadim Savitsky EPA/Russian Defence Ministry Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction epa08381952 A handout picture made available by the press service of the Russian Defence Ministry shows the construction site of the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces, in the Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia, 22 April 2020. The cathedral is being built for the 75th anniversary of the Victory in World War II. EPA/Vadim Savitsky HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES Vadim Savitsky EPA/Russian Defence Ministry Russia's Resurrection of Christ Cathedral under construction epa08381953 A handout picture made available by the press service of the Russian Defence Ministry shows interior view of the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces, which is under construction in the Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia, 22 April 2020. The cathedral is being built for the 75th anniversary of the Victory in World War II. EPA/Vadim Savitsky HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES Vadim Savitsky EPA/Russian Defence Ministry

In one of the mosaics, first revealed by Russia’s MBKh News website, Mr Putin is seen alongside defence minister Sergei Shoigu, Federal Security Service director Alexander Bortnikov and other top officials.

Another mosaic illustrating the victory parade of 1945 following the defeat of Nazi Germany shows soldiers lined up holding a banner with a picture of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

A separate part of the mosaic also shows a group of women with the words “Crimea is Ours” above them, in reference to Russia seizing the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.

Stalin's rule saw the purging of thousands of Russians suspected of disloyalty in the late 1930s and many others were sent to slave labour camps.

However the Russian Orthodox Church insisted the images are “appropriate”.

Archpriest Leonid Kalinin, chair of the experts’ council for church art, architecture and restoration, told Russian news agency TASS: “The Art Council considers these images to be absolutely appropriate, reflecting the historical truth, from which pages cannot be torn out arbitrarily.”