On February 26, the Communist Party of Russian Federation (KPRF) slammed the persecution of communist leader Yevgeny Ulyanov by the Karelian regional authorities. Ulyanov has been accused of organizing a gathering on February 23 at the center of Petrozavodsk near the Lenin monument, defying the ban imposed by the authorities.
Adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols, gatherings were organized across Russia on February 23 under the leadership of the KPRF and the Leninist Komsomol to commemorate the 103rd foundation anniversary of the Soviet Red Army. The day is also an official state holiday. Authorities have tried to ban the gatherings this year citing COVID-19 restrictions.
According to a RedLine TV report, authorities in Penza prosecuted an eighth-grader Komsomol member for reposting information about the rally on February 23. Similar moves of intimidation and persecution have been reported from across Russia as authorities tried to clamp down on the commemorations.
The Red Army, formed in the aftermath of the October Revolution of 1917, played a vital role in defending the USSR and liberating eastern Europe from Nazi rule.
Regarding the events on February 23, KPRF general secretary Gennady Zyuganov said, “this is the day of defending the Fatherland, defending our truth, independence and sovereignty. Let me remind you that the Tsar’s army lost the Crimean, Russian-Japanese and First World Wars. And Lenin had to create an army of 5 million from scratch, which defeated the Entente and its White Guard accomplices.”
On February 26, Zyuganov condemned the actions of the Republic of Karelia authorities and accused them of persecuting a communist leader for fulfilling his duties. “Recently, such actions of zealous bureaucrats and law enforcement officers have become a system. I regard this as a provocative action, a manifestation of political ignorance and an attempt to intimidate,” he said.
