Members of Russias Communist Party on Thursday set up a bust of Soviet totalitarian Josef Stalin in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol.It is the very first Stalin monument in Russian-occupied Ukraine, according to the celebrations branch in the Zaporizhzhia region.Photos and videos shared by one of the celebration leaders revealed a group of adults bring Soviet flags and children wearing socialist neckerchiefs and caps at the unveiling ceremony.For the fatherland, for Stalin, hoorah! Taras Genov, who heads the Russian Communist Party branch in the Zaporizhzhia area, was heard cheering in one of the videos.He said contributions by residents of Melitopol helped finance the monoliths building and installation at the citys Alley of Heroes.Melitopol, which had a pre-war population of around 150,000 people, was caught not long after Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022.
It remains the largest city in the Zaporizhzhia region under Russias control.
Zaporizhzhia is among 4 Ukrainian regions that Russia claimed to have actually annexed in the fall of 2022 in spite of not having full control over them.Stalins image has actually seen a steady repair in Russia recently in spite of the widespread atrocities dedicated during his rule.There are 120 Stalin monoliths in Russian cities, 105 of which have been erected in the 25 years of President Vladimir Putins rule, according to estimates by the exiled news outlet Mozhem Obyasnit.