Moscow metro station to recreate Stalin sculpture destroyed in 1960s

A sculpture featuring Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, which was installed at Taganskaya Station on the Moscow metro shortly after World War II and destroyed in the 1960s, is to be recreated, the capital’s Transport Department announced on Saturday.

Work on the bas-relief sculpture, named The People’s Gratitude to the Commander-in-Chief, commemorating the victory over fascism in World War II, is planned for “the near future”, according to the statement.

The bas-relief will be a replica of the original, which was on display until 1966 until it was destroyed as work was being carried out on the interchange between the two lines at Taganskaya Station, and as de-Stanilisation continued after Stalin’s death in 1953.

RMTM, a Telegram channel about the Moscow metro, wrote that a reduced copy of the original work would be installed due to the space currently available. An information stand at the station explains that the work is ongoing and is due for completion in the second quarter of 2025, according to Moscow website, Moskvich Mag.

The news comes as cities across Russia entertain the idea of restoring or erecting monuments to the Soviet dictator amid a wave of nostalgia as the country celebrated the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on Friday. The northwestern Vologda region, governed by Georgy Filimonov, an eccentric admirer of Stalin, has installed two monuments since late last year.