Paul
Goble
Staunton, September 12 – The
announcement by the Union of Architects of Russia of a competition for the best
idea about repurposing the mausoleum on Red Square is already sparking controversy
as an indication that Vladimir Putin really intends to bury Vladimir Lenin on
the centenary of his death in 2024.
The architects say that the mausoleum
itself is “an undoubted masterpiece” of 20th century buildings and
must be preserved after Lenin’s mummified body is removed and buried. Many of
them would like to see it become a branch of their union’s museum (ng.ru/moscow/2020-09-12/100_200912lenin.html).
Russian commentators, some with
horror like KPRF head Gennady Zyuganov and others with support like the Moscow
Patriarchate, have already weighed in, viewing this announcement as a move by
Putin, who has frequently sought to play down Lenin’s legacy and has suggested
he would support the burial of his mummy.
The deadline for registering
proposals is October 19, with the competition itself set to take place November
11-13. As a result, in the coming weeks, this issue is certain to attract more
expressions of support or outrage by those with contrasting views of Lenin and
his role in Russian history.
For the moment, it appears Putin is
likely to remain in the background as he often does, allowing the debate to expand
and intensify in public and the Kremlin to assess what the Russian people will
tolerate before he intervenes decisively. What is intriguing is that just as
with the amendments extending his time in office, this decision is set to be
made quite early.
It may be that the Kremlin leader is
using the coronavirus restrictions to keep people from demonstrating about this
issue and that reaching a decision while they are still in place will give him
the best chance to take a step he has clearly wanted to for some time without
political costs he certainly doesn’t want to pay.
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