Modern Ukraine gets its first statue of the Soviet dictator who has been credited for starting the European theater of World War II with Adolf Hitler in a secret pact.
ZAPORIZHYA, Ukraine – Police weren’t taking any chances as the local Communist Party erected a 2.5-meter high monument to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in Zaporizhya, part of Ukraine’s industrial southeast, on May 5.
Authorities closed Komunarivska Street, keeping about 50 members of the nationalist Svoboda Party – banned from demonstrating by a local court order – at a safe distance. Its members waved Ukrainian flags, handed out protest leaflets and wore traditional Ukrainian embroidered costumes.
The spectacle of erecting a monument to one of history’s greatest mass murderers, especially on the homeland of millions of the dictator’s victims, is deeply disturbing and offensive to many Ukrainians.
“Stalin was an ally of Hitler, this is a historical fact.”
– Ihor Zaviryuha, pensioner
Pensioner Ihor Zaviryuha, who handed out leaflets with combined images of Stalin and Hitler, is among those upset.
“Stalin was an ally of Hitler, this is a historical fact,” Zaviryuha said. “Apart from that, he ordered mass assassinations of millions of people, including Ukrainians. I cannot make myself understand how some people can praise him now.”
Younger nationalists, meanwhile, offered assurances that the monument will not last long. Protesters made no attempt to confront the massive security presence – including 50 officers, and a similar number nearby in two minivans. Instead, they held their demonstration in front of the city administration building.
Meanwhile, about 1,000 supporters of Stalin, mostly World War II war veterans and pensioners, gathered in front of the local Communist Party headquarter on Kommunarivska Street for the monument’s unveiling. Many held flowers and portraits of Stalin in military uniform and flowers. Old Soviet songs from loudspeakers praised Stalin, who led the Soviet Union from 1925 until his death in 1953, as a people’s hero. Among the lyrics: “Stalin is our Soviet genius” and “Stalin, rise from the dead and look at your country.”
The monument depicts Stalin, from the waist up, with a pipe in hand. It cost Hr 80,000 and was funded by donations. The statue is erected on private property belonging to the Communist Party, next to local party headquarters. There is no law against erecting monuments on private property.
Stalinists see history differently.
“We owe Stalin victory in the Second World War.”
-Vyacheslav Medkov, ex-army pilot pensioner.
“We owe Stalin victory in the Second World War,” said ex-army pilot pensioner Vyacheslav Medkov. He mobilized the country and managed to rebuild the economy after the war was over. I consider him a great hero.”
Many think that the current generation of Ukrainian leaders could learn a thing or two from Stalin.
“He did not care about enriching himself and his family, he thought only of the state, while all current Ukraine leaders seem to care about is money,” said pensioner Lydia Sheshlya, who brought a bouquet of lilacs.
Some Zaporizhya citizens stood at the police line to gaze from a distance at the red-flag Communist crowd. “The police do not let us in, although the street itself is not property of the Communist Party,” explained businessman Valeriy Prozapas. He is disappointed that more Zaporizhya citizens did not come out to protest.
“All my relatives and friends did not believe this monument would actually be erected,” Prozapas said. “They thought it was a joke. Now we see it is not, but nobody is protesting.’
His brother, Ihor Prozapas, said: “If government starts mass arrests tomorrow, I guess nobody will protest either.”
A police officer, who refused to give his name, said he is under orders not to let “opponents of Communists” to the grand opening. “We only let in people with Communist flags and flowers,” the officer explained. “This is for everybody’s security.”
A couple of students somehow infiltrated the Communist crowd and started an argument with older men.
“Joseph Stalin was the worst army commander ever. Only seven million Germans perished in the war, compared to 20 million Soviet people! Stalin used our grandparents as meat. This makes him a criminal,” said student Oleh Grushchenko. An old man countered that the student was learning false history.
Some officers even followed journalists, especially those who spoke Ukrainian. In this part of Ukraine, where the state’s official language is rarely used, speaking Ukrainian is an indication that one is a nationalist.
The event was marred by tragedy, nonetheless.
An 80-year-old woman died; two others were taken to the hospital by ambulance, as the hot sun made it hard for many elderly Stalin supporters.
Hours after the controversial opening, a another statue of Communist Party leader Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Bolshevik secret police, was vandalized in Zaporizhya. Someone painted the monument’s trousers yellow and wrote: “Where is the restroom?” on the statue. Police reported the arrest of two young suspects.
Communists say they will protect the Stalin monument. “Our activists are patrolling the territory all night, making sure no damage is done to the monument,” said a representative of Communist Party headquarters in Zaporizhya.
Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at [email protected].
