Near to the boulevard's ponds is a statue of the Kazakh poet, composer and philosopher Abai Qunanbayuli (also transliterated as Kunanbaev), who is to Kazakhstan what Pushkin is to Russia.  As well as writing his own poems and books of philosophy,  Qunanbayuli also translated works of Russians and Westerners into the Kazakh language. This statue was unveiled here as the Kazakh embassy is located nearby. In 2012 the statue, and indeed the poet himself, became more widely known about due to the protests held next to the monument by the Russian opposition.  Following the example of the Occupy Wall Street protests in the US, the Moscow protests became known as Occupy Abai.

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