One of Russia's most important war memorials, a huge statue towering over the southern city of Volgograd, is in danger of collapsing, an official says.

The Motherland statue is leaning at such a precarious angle that many people are scared of going near it.

Rising water levels are causing the foundations of the memorial to subside.

It commemorates the Battle of Stalingrad, when the Soviet army eventually managed to defeat the invading German forces in what is widely seen as a turning point in World War II.