Monument to Stalin unveiled in Zaporizhya

The first monument to Stalin since Ukraine’s independence has, despite protests, been erected in Zaporizhya.  The monument is around three metres and is a half figure of Stalin in military uniform. The monument is on the territory adjacent to the Zaporizhya Regional Committee [obkom] of the Communist Party. The statue was unveiled at the end of a rally of communists which the police say was around a thousand strong.

Since the day before, a court prohibited mass actions in that area by either the communists themselves, or the members of VO Svoboda [a rightwing nationalist movement] planning a protest, the event was officially called a meeting between National Deputy from the Communist Party Oleksiy Baburin and voters.

While on the one hand the monument is on private property, and since the outset the communists have said that it will be under 24-hour guard, it is disturbing how little active opposition has been shown by the very many people with good cause to find any glorification of a bloody dictator profoundly offensive.