Russians Gather at Red Square as Rumors Swirl About Lenin’s Removal
Lenin’s Embalmed Body, Moscow, Russia. X/ @b_marinova
June 10, 2025 Hour: 9:08 am
The Kremlin may remove the Soviet founder’s embalmed body during renovations of his century-old mausoleum.
In recent days, thousands of Russians have flocked to Red Square to bid farewell to Vladimir Lenin amid speculation that the Kremlin may remove the Soviet founder’s embalmed body during renovations of his century-old mausoleum.
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Russian authorities insist the mausoleum will reopen in 2027, but doubts have spread in the press and on social media—especially following a recent campaign rehabilitating Joseph Stalin’s image.
Though polls show only a third of Russians support keeping Lenin in the mausoleum, President Vladimir Putin has avoided a public debate, warning it could divide society and humiliate those born in the USSR.
Soviet-Era Lines Return
This morning, hundreds waited in line on the cobblestone slope leading to Red Square—a sight unseen since Soviet times, when visiting the marble tomb was a rite of passage. The mausoleum is open just three hours a day, Tuesday through Thursday.
Among the crowds between the Kremlin walls and the Historical Museum were few elderly Russians but many middle-aged and young locals, alongside Chinese and Indian tourists. Visitors get only seconds to view the body, with photography and pausing strictly forbidden.
“We read about Lenin in textbooks. It’s surprising to see so many Russians here—clearly, he inspires them. For us, it’s just a tourist attraction,” said a visitor from New Delhi.
The US$250,000 renovation will repair crumbling walls and the exterior but won’t relocate Lenin’s body, which has left the mausoleum only once—during World War II, when it was moved to Siberia.
A First for Many
Notably, many in line were Muscovites. “I heard it’s closing for two years. We’d been meaning to come for ages,” said Olga, who brought her daughter. “Honestly, we don’t even know if it’s really Lenin in there,” she joked.
Others traveled from across Russia or former Soviet republics like Kazakhstan. “It’s my first time in Moscow. I never expected such a long line. We were raised on Lenin’s ideas,” said Sergei.
His sister called the body a “scientific experiment”—maintained indefinitely by biotech—but Sergei argued its display keeps Lenin’s memory alive. Masha, a Moscow resident, agreed: “It doesn’t bother me. Let him stay.”
The text reads, “Lenin, one hundred years later. On January 21, 1924, the 20th century’s most important political thinker and revolutionary leader, the Russian Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Lenin, died. Only revolutions based on his historical legacy triumphed.”
Lenin Out, Stalin In?
The debate intensified after Putin blamed Lenin for laying the groundwork for the Ukraine war. Meanwhile, Stalin’s legacy is being revived, including a controversial two-meter metro bust.
“The body should be removed and given a Christian burial,” said Natalia from Tula. But Igor, a communist working for the Orthodox Church, argued Lenin is “closer to Christianity than our Church,” which has long demanded his burial.
“He’s in an underground sarcophagus—traditionally acceptable. The Church just won’t rest until he’s buried,” he said.
Alongside Patriarch Kirill, liberals, human rights groups, and ultranationalists support removing the body, noting Lenin’s widow and lover opposed its preservation.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE