The Arbitration Court of the Vologda Region has ordered the removal of a Stalin statue that was erected in the regional capital at the Vologda State Museum-Reserve. The decision followed an April lawsuit by regional prosecutors who claimed the statue’s procurement violated laws governing public competition and transparency.
A Controversial Contract
The lawsuit targeted both the author of the statue, entrepreneur Yekaterina Lozhenitsyna, and the museum that hosted the monument. Prosecutors argued that the statue was purchased from a single supplier without proper justification, violating Russia’s competition protection laws. They also claimed the price—10.5 million rubles—was inflated.
On July 9, the court fully upheld the prosecution’s demands: the statue must be returned to Lozhenitsyna, and she must repay the museum the full amount received under the contract. The ruling, however, has not yet entered into legal force and may be appealed.
Stalin in Bronze and Controversy
The statue, depicting Stalin in a military coat, was installed in December 2024 on the grounds of the "Vologda Exile" museum, where Stalin served a term in internal exile from 1911–1912. It was sculpted by Konstantin Kubyshkin, reportedly based on a design personally selected by Vologda Governor Georgy Filimonov.
Governor Defends the Statue
After the ruling, Lozhenitsyna said she intends to appeal the decision. Governor Filimonov responded sarcastically online, posting a Stalin-themed sticker and referring to critics as "fantasists." He had previously described the legal challenge as “a strange fuss over nothing,” framing it as a procedural technicality rather than a rejection of the monument itself.
Filimonov has consistently defended Stalin's historical legacy. In June, he praised the residents of Nikolsk for installing another Stalin statue, applauding their “ability to separate the wheat from the chaff.” He also reposted a statement welcoming the Communist Party of the Russian Federation’s resolution rejecting Khrushchev’s anti-Stalin speech at the 20th Congress of the CPSU.
Three Stalin Monuments in One Region
Aside from the Vologda statue, Stalin monuments were recently unveiled in Nikolsk (in June) and Kaduy (in May). In both cases, local authorities claimed community support or Communist Party initiative. The Kaduy bust was installed next to a Lenin statue near a regional history museum ahead of the 80th anniversary of World War II victory.
Yet not all residents are on board. Before the Vologda statue was unveiled, a petition opposing it gathered over 3,000 signatures.
History and Rehabilitation
Despite public backlash, Governor Filimonov has defended the monument as a response to public demand, calling Stalin a “man who left an indelible mark on Russian history.”
The legal battle around the statue underscores the tensions in Russia’s historical memory politics, particularly as debates around Stalin’s legacy grow more prominent amid efforts by some officials and parties to rehabilitate the former Soviet leader’s image.
