During the week the Communists collected more than 10.000 signatures to support the erection of a Stalin bust in downtown Krasnoyarsk. At the same time they submitted a written application to the governor of the Krasnoyarsk region, requesting him to permit the erection of the statue. The governor’s press-secretary, Igor Astapov, explained the governor’s position towards the subjects as follows: „Khloponin is not principally against the erection of a Stalin bust in the Pantheon of Victory, as long as it is meant for a personality who played a key role in the victory against fascism. This question, however, has to be decided rather by the municipal authorities than by the regional administration“.
Siberian News Agency, 22.07.2005