Putin’s Russia is currently waging two wars – in the towns and villages of eastern Ukraine, and in the field of historical memory. In some respects, the former is a continuation of the latter. But the outcomes of these wars do not depend on one another. Perhaps politicians will manage to put an end to aggression in eastern Ukraine – Minsk 2 was such an attempt, however futile. But the Kremlin’s victory in the 'memory wars' appears unavoidable.
Now, it seems, a monument to the victims of political repression will be erected on Moscow’s Andrei Sakharov Avenue in 2016. According to official documents, the State Museum of Gulag History put forward the initiative at the request of President Putin. Indeed, after the initiative was approved by the Moscow City Parliament Commission on Monumental Art in February 2015, you can now apply to the competition with your own design. A jury will carry out the selection process, and here civic and cultural figures loyal to the Kremlin will work side by side with rights activists, museum professionals and people who have themselves suffered repression. The winning entry will be announced on 30 October, Day of Memory of Political Repressions, which was set up by dissidents in 1974 to commemorate the victims of Soviet power.
Cynical appropriation
But it’s not important what the competition designs look like, or which one they choose for the corner of Sakharov Avenue and Sadovo-Spasskaya street, where a rather gloomy and non-descript office building currently stands. No, what’s important is that this whole story has been concocted so that Russian politicians can say: ‘A monument to the repressed will be built on Sakharov Avenue.’ There’s not the slightest doubt that rights activists, having lobbied for a monument for many years, sincerely believe that it will become a symbol of historical justice, inviting us to join a wider debate about political repressions and our national history.
