By the 1990s and moving towards the modern era, decorative extravagance was once again being toned down, with a greater emphasis on functional design, in common with many other countries. This trend hasn't precluded revisits of the old styles in newer stations, however. The long-delayed Park Pobedy (Victory Park) station, which opened in 2003 after starting construction in 1986, has been described as a return to the 'neo-Stalinist' style, with classical ornamentation and detailed mosaics such as this one, which celebrates Russian victory on the eastern front during the Second World War.
Russian President Vladimir Putin taking a tour of the newly-opened Novokosino station in 2012, which exemplifies the modern approach to Moscow's metro station design. The end products are not the 'people's palaces' of the past, but efficient modern transport hubs. Moscow's current mayor Sergei Sobyanin, as well as the international style embraced for the Sochi Olympics project in 2014, influenced this trend, according to architectural historian Nikolai Vassiliev.