You're reading: Ukrainian government will not oppose planned Stalin monument in Zaporizhia

The Ukrainian government is not going to obstruct an initiative to put up a monument to Josef Stalin in Zaporizhia, Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Semynozhenko has said.

"When we receive initiatives from the public, we will not suppress them," Semynozhenko said, commenting on the Communists’ initiative to put up a Josef Stalin monument in Zaporizhia.

There is nothing wrong with plans to hold May 9 Victory Day parades in Ukraine that will involve both Soviet Army veterans who fought during World War II and veterans of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the deputy prime minister said.

"The east [of Ukraine] should respect the ideas of the west [of Ukraine] and vice versa," he said.