Latest news with #monument
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
A statue of Stalin is unveiled in the Moscow subway as Russia tries to revive the dictator's legacy
A monument to Josef Stalin has been unveiled at one of Moscow's busiest subway stations, the latest attempt by Russian authorities to revive the legacy of the brutal Soviet dictator. The sculpture shows Stalin surrounded by beaming workers and children with flowers. It was installed at the Taganskaya station to mark the 90th anniversary of the Moscow Metro, the sprawling subway known for its mosaics, chandeliers and other ornate decorations that was built under Stalin.
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
A statue of Stalin is unveiled in the Moscow subway as Russia tries to revive the dictator's legacy
A monument to Josef Stalin has been unveiled at one of Moscow 's busiest subway stations, the latest attempt by Russian authorities to revive the legacy of the brutal Soviet dictator. The sculpture shows Stalin surrounded by beaming workers and children with flowers. It was installed at the Taganskaya station to mark the 90th anniversary of the Moscow Metro, the sprawling subway known for its mosaics, chandeliers and other ornate decorations that was built under Stalin. It replaces an earlier tribute that was removed in the decade following Stalin's 1953 death in a drive to root out his 'cult of personality' and reckon with decades of repression marked by show trials, nighttime arrests and millions killed or thrown into prison camps as 'enemies of the people.' Muscovites have given differing responses to the unveiling earlier this month. Many commuters took photos of the monument and some laid flowers beneath it. Aleksei Zavatsin, 22, told The Associated Press that Stalin was a 'great man" who had 'made a poor country into a superpower.' 'He raised the country from its knees,' he said. But another resident who identified herself only as Marina recalled her grandmother saying 'the whole country was living in fear' under Stalin. Activists from a Russian political movement that voices pro-democratic and nationalist views, protested by placing posters at the foot of the monument that quoted top politicians condemning the dictator. One poster, featuring President Vladimir Putin, cited him as bemoaning Stalin's 'mass crimes against the people," and saying his modernization of the USSR came at the price of 'unacceptable' repression. The unveiling came weeks after Putin signed a decree renaming the airport in Volgograd as Stalingrad — as the city was called when the Soviet Red Army defeated Nazi German forces there in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Volgograd itself briefly reverted to its former name on May 8-9 for Victory Day celebrations and will be temporarily renamed five more times this year to mark related wartime anniversaries. Putin has invoked the Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted five months and saw up to 2 million soldiers and civilians killed, as justification for Moscow's actions in Ukraine. Russian political analyst Pyotr Miloserdov said the Kremlin has used a broader drive to embrace Stalin's legacy to justify both the conflict in Ukraine and crackdown on dissent at home. 'Stalin was a tyrant, a despot, and that's what we need," he told AP. Authorities want to revive Stalin's image to popularize the idea of strongman rule, he added, and paint violence and repression as justified under extraordinary circumstances. 'This can lead to justifying any senseless, forceful actions. Under Stalin, this was allowed, there was a war. ... So, here is our special military operation, and now this is allowed too. This is simply an attempt to justify the use of force on people," Miloserdov said.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
A statue of Stalin is unveiled in the Moscow subway as Russia tries to revive the dictator's legacy
A monument to Josef Stalin has been unveiled at one of Moscow's busiest subway stations, the latest attempt by Russian authorities to revive the legacy of the brutal Soviet dictator. The sculpture shows Stalin surrounded by beaming workers and children with flowers. It was installed at the Taganskaya station to mark the 90th anniversary of the Moscow Metro, the sprawling subway known for its mosaics, chandeliers and other ornate decorations that was built under Stalin. It replaces an earlier tribute that was removed in the decade following Stalin's 1953 death in a drive to root out his 'cult of personality' and reckon with decades of repression marked by show trials, nighttime arrests and millions killed or thrown into prison camps as 'enemies of the people.' Muscovites have given differing responses to the unveiling earlier this month. Many commuters took photos of the monument and some laid flowers beneath it. Aleksei Zavatsin, 22, told The Associated Press that Stalin was a 'great man' who had 'made a poor country into a superpower.' 'He raised the country from its knees,' he said. But another resident who identified herself only as Marina recalled her grandmother saying 'the whole country was living in fear' under Stalin. Activists from a Russian political movement that voices pro-democratic and nationalist views, protested by placing posters at the foot of the monument that quoted top politicians condemning the dictator. One poster, featuring President Vladimir Putin, cited him as bemoaning Stalin's 'mass crimes against the people,' and saying his modernization of the USSR came at the price of 'unacceptable' repression. The unveiling came weeks after Putin signed a decree renaming the airport in Volgograd as Stalingrad — as the city was called when the Soviet Red Army defeated Nazi German forces there in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Volgograd itself briefly reverted to its former name on May 8-9 for Victory Day celebrations and will be temporarily renamed five more times this year to mark related wartime anniversaries. Putin has invoked the Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted five months and saw up to 2 million soldiers and civilians killed, as justification for Moscow's actions in Ukraine. Russian political analyst Pyotr Miloserdov said the Kremlin has used a broader drive to embrace Stalin's legacy to justify both the conflict in Ukraine and crackdown on dissent at home. 'Stalin was a tyrant, a despot, and that's what we need,' he told AP. Authorities want to revive Stalin's image to popularize the idea of strongman rule, he added, and paint violence and repression as justified under extraordinary circumstances. 'This can lead to justifying any senseless, forceful actions. Under Stalin, this was allowed, there was a war. ... So, here is our special military operation, and now this is allowed too. This is simply an attempt to justify the use of force on people,' Miloserdov said.
CNN
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
New Stalin monument in Moscow subway stirs debate
A monument to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin erected in Moscow's subway is stirring debate, with some Russians welcoming it as a historical tribute, but others saying it's a mistake to commemorate someone who presided over so much suffering. The life-size wall sculpture in Moscow's Taganskaya metro station depicts Stalin standing on Moscow's Red Square surrounded by a crowd of Soviet citizens looking at him in admiration, and is a recreation of a monument that was unveiled in the same station in 1950, three years before Stalin died. The Moscow metro said that the original monument to Stalin had been 'lost' in 1966 when the Taganskaya metro station hosting it had been reconfigured. Nearly 700,000 people were executed in Stalin's 1937-38 Great Terror amid show trials and purges of his real and perceived enemies. Many other Soviet citizens were sent to the gulag, a grim network of prison camps, spread across the world's largest country. The Moscow metro said in a statement that the new version of the monument, which was presented to the public on May 15, was one of its 'gifts' to passengers to mark the 90th anniversary of the sprawling, ornate and famously efficient transportation system. The work's original title, 'Gratitude of the People to the Leader and Commander,' was dedicated to Stalin's role in delivering victory for the Soviet Union in World War II, the 80th anniversary of which Russia marked with pomp this year. 'This man (Stalin), he created a lot,' said Yevgeny Ivanov, a Moscow resident, who had come to look at the new monument on Wednesday. 'He has something to be proud of. And it is not for us to tear it down. A man did something - we must respect what he did.' Kirill Frolov, another resident of the capital, said he accepted that Stalin's record was mixed and that you couldn't call him 'good.' But he said that Stalin's role as a victor in World War II and his successful industrialization of the Soviet Union meant he had achieved real results and deserved to be remembered. 'This man did more for our country than anyone else. That's why I think that this (the new monument) is good and there should be more… Because the generation of, say, the 2000s and later, they don't really understand at all who this is.' Others condemned the monument. The Moscow branch of the liberal Yabloko party issued a formal protest against what it called the return of a monument to 'a tyrant and a dictator' and demanded that the Moscow metro focus on commemorating the victims of Stalin's repressions instead. 'The return of symbols of Stalinism to Moscow is spitting in the face of history and an act of mockery against the descendants of the repressed,' Yabloko said in a statement. Unidentified individuals initially left two signs at the monument containing quotes from Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev that were critical of Stalin. They were later removed. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounced Stalin for his brutality and crimes in 1956 and images of Stalin would later be systematically removed as part of a de-Stalinization campaign. In recent years, some monuments to Stalin have begun to reappear in some places, though his legacy remains deeply divisive. Alexander Zinoviev, a researcher and expert on Soviet architecture, said he felt the new monument and the period it evoked had some parallels with the current mood inside Russia at a time when it is locked in a standoff with the West over the war in Ukraine. 'It is the same self-isolation, it is the same conservative ideology and reliance on our own strength,' he said. 'And this theme with Stalin, with his esthetics…that we need to trust our leader and be happy and not criticize those in power, it is very in tune with our time.'
CNN
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
New Stalin monument in Moscow subway stirs debate
A monument to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin erected in Moscow's subway is stirring debate, with some Russians welcoming it as a historical tribute, but others saying it's a mistake to commemorate someone who presided over so much suffering. The life-size wall sculpture in Moscow's Taganskaya metro station depicts Stalin standing on Moscow's Red Square surrounded by a crowd of Soviet citizens looking at him in admiration, and is a recreation of a monument that was unveiled in the same station in 1950, three years before Stalin died. The Moscow metro said that the original monument to Stalin had been 'lost' in 1966 when the Taganskaya metro station hosting it had been reconfigured. Nearly 700,000 people were executed in Stalin's 1937-38 Great Terror amid show trials and purges of his real and perceived enemies. Many other Soviet citizens were sent to the gulag, a grim network of prison camps, spread across the world's largest country. The Moscow metro said in a statement that the new version of the monument, which was presented to the public on May 15, was one of its 'gifts' to passengers to mark the 90th anniversary of the sprawling, ornate and famously efficient transportation system. The work's original title, 'Gratitude of the People to the Leader and Commander,' was dedicated to Stalin's role in delivering victory for the Soviet Union in World War II, the 80th anniversary of which Russia marked with pomp this year. 'This man (Stalin), he created a lot,' said Yevgeny Ivanov, a Moscow resident, who had come to look at the new monument on Wednesday. 'He has something to be proud of. And it is not for us to tear it down. A man did something - we must respect what he did.' Kirill Frolov, another resident of the capital, said he accepted that Stalin's record was mixed and that you couldn't call him 'good.' But he said that Stalin's role as a victor in World War II and his successful industrialization of the Soviet Union meant he had achieved real results and deserved to be remembered. 'This man did more for our country than anyone else. That's why I think that this (the new monument) is good and there should be more… Because the generation of, say, the 2000s and later, they don't really understand at all who this is.' Others condemned the monument. The Moscow branch of the liberal Yabloko party issued a formal protest against what it called the return of a monument to 'a tyrant and a dictator' and demanded that the Moscow metro focus on commemorating the victims of Stalin's repressions instead. 'The return of symbols of Stalinism to Moscow is spitting in the face of history and an act of mockery against the descendants of the repressed,' Yabloko said in a statement. Unidentified individuals initially left two signs at the monument containing quotes from Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev that were critical of Stalin. They were later removed. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounced Stalin for his brutality and crimes in 1956 and images of Stalin would later be systematically removed as part of a de-Stalinization campaign. In recent years, some monuments to Stalin have begun to reappear in some places, though his legacy remains deeply divisive. Alexander Zinoviev, a researcher and expert on Soviet architecture, said he felt the new monument and the period it evoked had some parallels with the current mood inside Russia at a time when it is locked in a standoff with the West over the war in Ukraine. 'It is the same self-isolation, it is the same conservative ideology and reliance on our own strength,' he said. 'And this theme with Stalin, with his esthetics…that we need to trust our leader and be happy and not criticize those in power, it is very in tune with our time.'
