Occupiers in Mariupol put up a monument of a 'grandmother with the flag of the USSR'; Putin's representative Kiriyenko arrives in Mariupol

IRYNA BALACHUK —  THURSDAY, 5 MAY 2022, 09:51

Russian invaders have erected a "symbol of Russia's support" in occupied Mariupol, a black monument to a "grandmother with the Soviet Union flag"; they also have begun replacing entrance signs in villages and towns in the Donetsk region.

Source: Mariupol mayor's adviser Petro Andriushchenko on Telegram, Russian edition of RBC

Andriushchenko's quote: "Yesterday the first deputy head of the Russian presidential administration Sergey Kiriyenko and the secretary general of the United Russia council Andrey Turchak, who are curators of Mariupol's integration into Russia, were in the city.

They were accompanied by collaborators Ivashchenko (pseudo mayor) and Kharmyshev (pseudo-secretary of the community).

They unveiled a monument made of shit and sticks to a grandmother with a flag at Voiniv-Vyzvolyteliv Square [Liberation Warriors Square], which they stubbornly call Lenin's Komsomol (name before decommunisation)" [The decommunisation process started in Ukraine in 2015, after the Revolution of Dignity, with the passage of several laws that required the removal of communist-era monuments, and renaming places named after communist activists/politicians]. 

Details: In its shape and size, the monument is very similar to one that was erected and stood only one day in Belgorod, Russia.

Andriushchenko added that during his speech, Turchak admitted that Russia's war with Ukraine has been going on for 8 years and announced a parade in Mariupol on 9 May.

RBC calls Kiriyenko "curator of the Donbas republics" instead of Dmitry Kozak.

The publication also reports that the so-called "head of the DPR"[self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic] Denys Pushylin was present at the unveiling of the "monument".

According to Andriushchenko, the occupiers also started replacing road signs at the entrances to villages and settlements in the occupied territories. To be precise, they are returning to the old names, as it has happened with the settlement Nikolske.

Background: A monument depicting a "Ukrainian grandmother with the Soviet flag" was erected in Belgorod, Russia, on 3 May, but was removed on 4 May, with the city hall saying it was looking for a new place for the sculpture.