Vologda Honors Its Heritage with Monument to Ivan the Terrible

In the northwestern Russian city of Vologda, a 9-meter statue of Tsar Ivan IV, popularly known as Ivan the Terrible, has been erected, as reported by the Kommersant business daily on Monday.

The statue, situated on Kremlevskaya Ploshchad near the Vologda Kremlin, is set to be officially unveiled on Tuesday in conjunction with Russia’s National Unity Day celebrations.

The bronze figure was crafted by sculptor Mikhail Krasilnikov, who is also known for creating an 8-meter statue of Soviet leader Josef Stalin in Velikiye Luki, located in the Pskov region.

Details regarding the funding for this new project remain undisclosed.

The proposal for the statue originated from Vologda region Governor Georgy Filimonov, who has characterized Ivan the Terrible as a «cultural and symbolic figure of Vologda.»

Ivan the Terrible commissioned the construction of key sites in the city, such as the St. Sophia Cathedral and the Vologda Kremlin, and at one point considered establishing Vologda as the capital of his realm during the oprichnina policy. This regime involved members of the Tsar’s personal guard seizing property for the state and executing widespread repressions.

The Great Russian Encyclopedia defines the oprichnina as a period marked by «a terrorist despotism under autocratic rule.»

Nevertheless, Filimonov has praised Ivan IV as an «expander of Russian territories» and a «symbol of the Russian identity.»

He remarked, «The Kazan Khanate, the Astrakhan Khanate — this highlights Orthodox missionary efforts, representing a symbol of the Russian world: dynamic, somewhat severe, and, in a positive sense, an assertive advance,» referring to the tsar as a «formidable warrior, autocrat, and conqueror.»

Previously, Filimonov supported the unveiling of a statue of Stalin last year, claiming it was in response to «public demand.» He pointed out that Stalin had spent several months in Vologda during his early 20th-century exile.

The walls of Filimonov’s reception room are adorned with portraits of Stalin, Lenin, NKVD leader Lavrenty Beria, and Cheka founder Felix Dzerzhinsky, alongside a painting that depicts the governor shaking Stalin’s hand.