A Zaporizhzhya resident filed a case against the Communist party for unveiling the monument to Stalin in the city center this week. Dmitry Kharkov said the sculpture of the Soviet tyrant responsible for many crimes against humanity “makes him suffer.”
The controversial bust appeared on the occasion of the 94th anniversary of the Russian Revolution on Nov. 7 in front of the Communist party office. Enclosed in a glass box and protected by a metal fence, it is accompanied by another Soviet hero, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya. One of the most famous female partisans during World War II, Kosmodemyanskaya’s persona has been a legendary figure for the Soviets. Along with other partisans, she was responsible for burning the Nazi-occupied villages until captured, tortured and hanged publicly.
“Stalin was considered to be a father of the Soviet nation, and Kosmodemyanskaya was its daughter,” communist party member and local deputy Oleksandr Zubchevsky said. Some thousand residents came out in protest to the opening of the monuments on Monday.
It was not the city’s first attempt to glorify Stalin. The previous bust was first decapitated on Dec. 29 and then blown up on the New Year’s night by the members of the right-wing Tryzub organization who are currently on trial.
Resident Kharkov opposed the new monument in the non-violent manner by filing the formal complaint. He said the monument insults him personally and denigrates Ukraine where the courts found Stalin guilty of organizing the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine. Non-governmental organizations started collecting signatures to help dismantle the monuments.
