Putin's Call for Renaming Russian Streets and Schools after Soldiers who Died Fighting in His War Likely to Spark Controversy

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 12 – At a meeting he held with shock troop  soldiers on the Day of Russia, Vladimir Putin called for memorializing those of their comrades who died there by renaming streets and schools across the Russian Federation, something that may change the face of Russia but will certainly spark conflict in many places.

            Putin’s latest appeal (t.me/tass_agency/380394) is fully consistent with what he has said before; but as EkhoFM points out, memorializing all the soldiers who have died in this way will transform the nomenclature given that there have been more than 220,000 killed (echofm.online/news/putin-predlozhil-nazyvat-uliczy-i-shkoly-v-chest-pogibshih-geroev-svo-shkol-v-rossii-pochti-v-shest-raz-menshe-chem-ubityh-uchastnikov-vojny-v-ukraine).

            Some Russians will object to changing the names of streets and schools so soon after the names given to these replaced Soviet ones after a struggle; but even those who will be inclined to go along will likely find themselves in conflict with one another given that in many places, there are more combat deaths to be memorialized than places to do so.

            And what may prove even more likely to spark public conflict is this: who will be given the more prominent streets and schools and who will be given this designation only in the case of smaller streets and less important schools? Those who receiving what they view as less honor than others are certain to be upset.

            In this way, yet another move by Putin will set Russians against Russians in the runup to the Duma elections set to take place in September.