Moscow, September 11, 2017
Photo: ria.ru The Russian government has not supported the bill on the burial of revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin, as reported in the conclusion of the Cabinet of Ministers, according to RIA-Novosti.
A group of deputies from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia—Ivan Sukharev, Vladimir Sysoev, and Alexander Kurdyumov—had earlier introduced a bill on the burial of Lenin’s remains for consideration by the State Duma. Three deputies from the United Russia party, Evgeny Marchenko, Alexander Bryksin, and Vitaly Bakhmetev, also signed the document.
In December 2015, Deputy Sukharev stated that the purpose of burying Lenin is “for the creation and promotion of the new symbols of Russia, reflecting the historical stage of unity, awareness of national identity of Russians building a democratic state, free from the domination of ideology, whose symbol remains Lenin’s mausoleum.”
“Russia cannot be considered a modern civilized state as long as a corpse remains in Red Square—the main square of the nation—the existence of Lenin’s mausoleum is simply unacceptable. Further, the misery and deprivation which Lenin’s actions and policies brought down upon his people and the state are incalculable,” Sukharev further stated.
Speaking with RIA-Novosti, Deputy Sysoev stated that the bill should “create a legal framework” for the subsequent reburial not only of Lenin, but also of other historical figures. He explained that the legislative initiative came in connection with a Levada Center survey according to which the majority of Russians believe that Lenin’s body should be removed from its mausoleum on Red Square and interred in the ground.
“The government of the Russian Federation has not supported the bill,” reads the letter signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the Russian government Sergei Prikhodko.
In the conclusion it is also noted that the initiative would require additional expenditures from the budget, although the bill does not indicate the sources of financing these costs.
“Federal law establishes the basis of the organization of burial work in the Russian Federation as an independent activity. The issue of the reburial of the particular deceased … does not contain legal regulation, but bears an individual-legal character and cannot be regulated by the specified law,” the document also reads.
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia has twice recently called for the removal of Lenin from Red Square.
According to a poll posted on RIA-Novosti on Friday, 60.9% of voters believe it is necessary to rebury Lenin, 28.3% do not believe it is necessary, and 10.8% are indifferent.
