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| Astrakhan residents demanded that the monument to victims of political repression be repaired |
| 2025-05-27 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [KavkazUzel] The Astrakhan police must establish those responsible for damaging the monument to the victims of political repression, whether it was vandalism or the consequences of poor-quality repairs to the monument by a contractor, Astrakhan residents said and called on government officials to ensure the restoration of the pedestal. The Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression has been celebrated in Russia since 1991 on October 30. As a rule, activists in Astrakhan lay flowers at the monument to the victims of repression on this day. Andrei Sevastyanov lives with his family on Saint-Simon Street in the Kirovsky District of Astrakhan. While walking with his family in Druzhby Park on May 25, he discovered damage to the monument to the victims of political repression. "The monument to the victims of political repression is located in the very center of Astrakhan, next to the headquarters of OOO Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft. Yesterday we were walking there with our children and discovered that the facing granite tiles on one side were knocked off and some tiles were cracked. These are definitely vandals, because if the tiles had simply fallen off, they would not have cracked. There should be video cameras on the Lukoil building. Let the police figure it out and search," Andrey told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Andrei said that he reported the incident to the police officers on duty near Druzhba Park on the evening of May 25. They promised to report it "to the appropriate authorities." As a descendant of those repressed, he knows the history of the monument well and is concerned about its condition. "The monument was originally erected in the October Revolution Park in 1995 (sculptor G.I. Potapov, architects A.I. Fedorchenko and V.V. Khristoforov). But in 2007-2011, the park was demolished and the Palace of Justice (the building of the Regional Court) was built in its place as part of the federal program for the development of the judicial system. The monument was moved to the 17th Pier Park, now Druzhba Park. The monument was moved and reconstructed at that time by Lukoil. But the monument is on the balance sheet of the mayor's office," the Astrakhan resident said. MY TWO GRANDFATHERS SUFFERED FROM STALIN'S REPRESSIONS. THAT'S WHY WE BRING FLOWERS HERE EVERY OCTOBER "Two of my grandfathers suffered from Stalin's repressions. That's why we bring flowers here every year in October (October 30). At other times, we often walk in this park. This is a place often visited by city residents. And here are the vandals. It's a disgrace for the city - a monument to the victims of political repressions has become the object of a hooligan attack. Perhaps this was done for political reasons. Stalinism is now raising its head in the region," suggested Andrei Sevastyanov. Political scientist Mikhail Doliev told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the monument to the victims of political repression in Astrakhan has been attacked by vandals on multiple occasions. The monument, according to him, is located "in an elite location", it is adjacent to the Lukoil office, which is located at the following address: Astrakhan, Admiralteyskaya Street, 1 k2. This is close to the Volga River Embankment and the house where the governor lives. "On May 24, I learned that the monument to the victims of political repression was damaged once again. Earlier, when we held events dedicated to the victims of political repression, we noticed that tiles were falling off the monument's pedestal. This time, the tiles didn't just fall off, someone broke them," said Mikhail Doliev. The political scientist noted that the monument "has a difficult fate, as do those people in whose memory this memorial was erected." The monument itself was unveiled in 1995 in a different location. According to Mikhail, in 2011 the monument "suddenly disappeared," but later "secretly from the public" it was moved at Lukoil's expense to Druzhby Park, next to Lukoil's headquarters. "At the same time, during the transfer, probably due to the impossibility of preserving the integrity, the black granite tiles were lost and replaced with light-gray ones. Apparently, the installation of the pedestal was of poor quality, which is why the tiles regularly fall off. I believe that since Lukoil sponsored the transfer and hired a contractor, it is Lukoil that should oblige this company to carry out warranty repairs. In addition, Lukoil's video cameras and security could well have noticed those who broke the tiles of the monument's pedestal. Moreover, Senator Gennady Ordenov (Deputy General Director for General Affairs of LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft LLC, - KU note) recently attended the opening of the Memory Park dedicated to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in the village of Mirny in the Astrakhan Region. It is surprising that the senator does not monitor the cultural heritage near his own office?" Mikhail Doliev was indignant. A member of the Yabloko party, who asked not to be named, suggested in a comment to a Kavkazsky Uzel correspondent that the monument could have suffered from “decrepit state” rather than vandalism. “Apparently, during the last renovation work, workers used low-quality materials. That’s why the tiles fell off. But in any case, the monument needs to be restored. I spoke with employees of the Kirovsky District administration. They said that it will soon be repaired using municipal funds,” the source said. The press service of the Astrakhan mayor's office refused to verbally answer a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent's question about the condition of the monument to the victims of repression. |
| Posted by:badanov |