Astrakhan residents demand to repair monument to victims of political repressions

In their appeal, residents of Astrakhan have demanded from the city police to identify the persons responsible for damaging the monument to victims of political repressions and find out whether the damage was inflicted as a result of act of vandalism or whether it resulted from poor-quality repairs to the monument by a contractor. The Astrakhan residents call on government officials to ensure the restoration of the pedestal.

Andrei Sevastyanov lives with his family on Saint-Simon Street in the Kirovsky District of Astrakhan. While walking with his family in the “Druzhba” Park on May 25, the man discovered damage to the monument to victims of political repressions.

“The monument to victims of political repressions is located in the very centre of Astrakhan, next to the headquarters of the ‘Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft’ LLC. Yesterday, we were walking there together with our children and discovered that the facing granite tile on one side of the monument was knocked off and some tiles were cracked. The damage was definitely inflicted by vandals, since if the tiles had simply fallen off, they would not have cracked. There should be video surveillance cameras on the ‘Lukoil’ Company’s building. Let the police investigate the incident,” Andrei Sevastyanov told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Andrei Sevastyanov stated that he reported the incident to police inspectors on duty near the “Druzhba” Park on the evening of May 25. The police inspectors promised to report the incident “to the appropriate authorities.” As a descendant of those repressed, Andrei Sevastyanov knows the history of the monument well and is concerned about its condition. “The monument was initially erected in the October Revolution Park in 1995 (sculptor G.I. Potapov, architects A.I. Fedorchenko and V.V. Khristoforov). However, in 2007-2011, the Andrei Sevastyanov was demolished and the Palace of Justice (the building of the Astrakhan Regional Court) was built in its place as part of the federal programme for the development of the judicial system. The monument was moved to the 17th Pier Park, now the ‘Druzhba’ Park. The relocation and reconstruction of the monument was carried out by the ‘Lukoil’ Company at that time. But the monument is on the balance of the city administration,” explained the resident of Astrakhan.

Two of my grandfathers suffered from Stalin era repressions. That’s why we bring flowers here every year in October.

“Two of my grandfathers suffered from the Stalin era repressions. That’s why we bring flowers here every year in October (on October 30). At other times, we often walk in the ‘Druzhba’ park. This is a place often visited by city residents. And here the vandals came. It’s a disgrace for the city: the monument to the victims of political repressions has become the object of a hooligan attack. Maybe the damage was inflicted out of political reasons. Stalinism is now raising its head in the region,” suggested Andrei Sevastyanov.

Political analyst Mikhail Doliev told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent that the monument to the victims of political repressions in Astrakhan has been attacked by vandals more than once. The political analyst notes that the monument is located “in an elite place.” It is close to the Volga River Embankment and the house where the governor lives.

“Earlier, when we held events dedicated to the victims of political repressions, we noticed that tiles were falling off the monument’s pedestal. This time, the tiles did not just fall off, but someone broke them,” stated political analyst Mikhail Doliev. He has noted that the monument “has a difficult fate, as do those people in whose memory this memorial was erected.”

“When the monument was moved to the new place, its black granite tiles were lost and replaced with light gray ones. Apparently, the installation of the pedestal was done poorly, which is why the tiles regularly fall off. I believe that since the ‘Lukoil’ Company sponsored the relocation and hired the contractor, it is the ‘Lukoil’ Company that should oblige the contractor to perform warranty repairs. In addition, the ‘Lukoil’ Company’s video surveillance cameras and security guards could well notice those who broke the tiles on the monument’s pedestal. Moreover, Senator Gennady Ordenov (Deputy General Director for General Affairs of the ‘LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft’ LLC, – a note of the ‘Caucasian Knot’) recently attended the opening of the Memory Park dedicated to the Victory in World War II in the village of Mirny in the Astrakhan Region. I wonder why the senator does not monitor the cultural heritage located near his own office?” political analyst Mikhail Doliev has expressed his indignation.

When commenting on the incident with the monument, a member of the “Yabloko” Party, who preferred to remain anonymous, has told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent that the monument could suffer “from dilapidation” and not from vandals. “But in any case, the monument must be restored. I spoke with officials from the Kirovsky District administration. They have informed me that the monument will soon be repaired at the expense of the municipal funds,” the source stated.

The press service of the Astrakhan City Mayoralty has refused to verbally answer the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent’s question about the condition of the monument to victims of repressions.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 26, 2025 at 08:29 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.