Russians want Lenin's embalmed body buried
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Die-hard communists celebrated the 134th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin yesterday as an opinion poll showed that most Russians want his painstakingly embalmed corpse taken out of its Red Square mausoleum and reburied.
Several hundred mostly elderly Communist stalwarts, including Lenin's niece Olga Ulyanova, laid wreaths and flowers at the entrance to the red granite tomb in Moscow which houses the corpse of the Socialist icon who died in 1924. Although a visit to see his fully dressed corpse in its coffin is still a big tourist attraction, there is growing popular support to close the mausoleum.
An opinion poll showed that 56 per cent of Russians felt it was time for his body to be reburied alongside that of his mother in St Petersburg. Ten years ago, 45 per cent of Russians supported such an idea. Russia's ailing Communist Party is fiercely opposed to moving the founder of the USSR from Red Square.
"Lenin has already been given a Christian burial," Ms Ulyanova said. "The sarcophagus containing Lenin's body is located three metres under the ground," she added, saying that calls for his reburial were "attacks by Ilyich's enemies".
Alexander Kuvaev, the first secretary of the Moscow Communist Party, said the party would fight tooth and nail to preserve the status quo. "The Communist Party will not allow an outrage against Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Moscow Communists will always defend this genius of mankind."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments