Monument to Stalin unveiled in Russia: Orthodox priests bless it, thank Soviet dictator for many "new martyrs"

This was reported by the Sota Telegram channel.

The organiser was the Russian Knight Foundation, which had previously proposed renaming Volgograd to Stalingrad.

The opening ceremony was attended by over a hundred people. Among them were politician Sergei Baburin, TV presenter Maria Shukshina and representatives of the Orthodox Church, who consecrated the monument.

Father Anthony, who performed the blessing ceremony, admitted that a large number of priests were killed during Stalin's rule. But, according to Anthony, "thanks to this, we have many new martyrs." In her speech, Maria Shukshina called Stalin a "God-given leader".

In the speeches at the unveiling of the monument, comparisons between the Great Patriotic War and the current war in Ukraine were made several times. "As a soldier who was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR for his actions during the liberation of Zaporizhzhia in 1943, I feel said that the battle against Nazism is now being fought in those parts again," wrote centenarian WWII veteran Boris Kravtsov in an address read by politician Sergei Baburin.

Also today, a picket against the monument was held in Velikiye Luki, according to the Memorial Society. It is not known whether the activists were detained.

• In February, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, monuments to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and Marshals Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky were unveiled in Volgograd, Russia. They were erected ahead of Vladimir Putin's visit to the city.