110 monuments to Stalin have been erected in Russia, and their number is growing

In Russia, 110 monuments to the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin have already been erected. 95 of them were installed under Vladimir Putin, and the pace of construction of monuments doubled after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Such statistics are provided by “We can explain”.

The publication compiled a complete list of monuments to Stalin installed in public places (except museums). It follows that only 9% of monuments have been preserved since Soviet times, and the vast majority appeared in the last 20 years, during the reign of Vladimir Putin.

The day before, a bust of Stalin and a number of other Soviet leaders was erected in Medny, the Tver region, at the burial place of the victims of repression. It is confirmed that this is part of some exhibition, but it is not clear whether the bust will remain in this place permanently. This monument became the fourth one installed in Russia since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, and “We can explain” notes that the opening of each of them was justified by slogans of military propaganda.

In the 1990s, only five monuments to Stalin were erected in Russia, under Putin they began to erect approximately four monuments per hour. This number increased after the annexation of Crimea (where there are also monuments to Stalin, but they are not specified in the list).

North Ossetia, Dagestan, and Yakutia are among the three leaders in the number of settlements with Stalin sculptures. Monuments, as a rule, are not installed in central squares or streets, a typical monument to Stalin is a bust erected on the initiative of private individuals or organizations, such as the CPRF, often they are erected on the territory of museums or private properties. However, recently, more and more monuments are erected on the initiative of local authorities, and officials appear at their opening.