A fourth monument to Stalin is to be erected in the Vologda region
The project to create the monument to the Soviet dictator is being overseen by the governor of the Vologda region, Georgy Filimonov — an Orthodox Christian, self-described Stalinist, and admirer of pagan traditions — despite widespread opposition from local residents.
Authorities in the city of Cherepovets plan to install a statue of Joseph Stalin, an initiative strongly backed by Filimonov, one of Russia’s most controversial regional officials.
On 18 May, Filimonov visited a workshop in Moscow where sculptor Ilya Korotchenko has already completed a clay model of the monument. The statue of Stalin is set to stand alongside a monument to metallurgist Ivan Bardin.
“We intend to unveil the monument in Cherepovets by Metallurgist Day… The city will gain a visual symbol associated with its rise as one of the country’s largest steel-producing centres,” Filimonov said.
Many local residents, however, oppose the governor’s proposal. Veterans of Cherepovets’ construction industry have stated that the city has no need for a monument to Stalin. Similar views have been expressed, often in blunt terms, by users on social media.
“He should put it in front of his own house or in his garden. He could even build himself an iconostasis with Stalin and pray to it around the clock — perhaps then no one would shoot him for treating people this way,” wrote Cherepovets resident Yegor Subbotin in the comments beneath the news report.
“Let the opening ceremony be attended by pensioner veterans who have forgotten the repression, the pain, and the suffering people endured,” suggested fellow resident Svetlana Shestakova.
The Vologda region already has three monuments to the Soviet dictator. In Nikolsk, a bust of Stalin was installed outside a school, reportedly at the initiative of local residents. In the regional capital, another monument was unveiled at Stalin’s house museum, while a third stands beside the local history museum in the settlement of Kaduy.
Governor Georgy Filimonov has become one of Russia’s most recognisable regional politicians. He is known for his admiration of Joseph Stalin; his office reportedly contains a painting depicting him shaking hands with the dictator. At the same time, Filimonov publicly presents himself as an Orthodox Christian while also displaying an interest in paganism.
He has also drawn attention for efforts to curb alcohol consumption in the region and for campaigning against abortion. In August 2025, Filimonov boasted that not a single abortion had been performed in the Vologda region during the previous month.
Researchers Alexandra Arkhipova and Yuri Lapshin have studied the growing rehabilitation and memorialisation of Stalin in modern Russia. According to their estimates, 16 new memorial plaques and busts dedicated to the dictator appeared across the country in just the first seven months of 2025. In total, at least 213 new monuments to Stalin have been installed in Russia since 1995.
