A ballerina statue on Tverskaya Street was removed after Stalin’s death fact check

Checked on September 21, 2025
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1. Summary of the results

The original statement claims that a ballerina statue on Tverskaya Street was removed after Stalin's death. According to [1], the statue of a ballerina, believed to depict Olga Lepeshinskaya, was indeed removed from Tverskaya Street 60 years ago, in 1958, which is after Stalin's death in 1953, supporting the claim [1]. However, other sources do not directly address the removal of a ballerina statue from Tverskaya Street. [2] discusses the disappearance of memorials to victims of Stalin's repression and the resurgence of Stalin's popularity in Russia, providing indirect context [2]. [3] is irrelevant to the claim as it discusses the appearance of a Stalin sculptural relief in Moscow's Taganskaya metro station [3]. Additionally, [2], [4], and [5] do not mention a ballerina statue on Tverskaya Street but discuss the removal of monuments to victims of Stalinist repression and the erection of new monuments to Stalin, indicating a trend of historical revisionism [2] [4] [5]. [6], [7], and [8] also do not mention a ballerina statue on Tverskaya Street but provide information on the removal of Soviet-era monuments and memorials in various countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine [6] [7] [8].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A key missing context is the specific reason for the removal of the ballerina statue, which is not provided by any of the sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]. Alternative viewpoints include the possibility that the removal of the statue was not directly related to Stalin's death, but rather part of a broader trend of historical revisionism in Russia [2] [4]. Another viewpoint is that the focus on the removal of Soviet-era monuments in various countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine may be distracting from the original claim [6] [7] [8]. The Russian government may benefit from the removal of monuments to victims of Stalinist repression, while historians and human rights activists may benefit from the preservation of these monuments [2] [4]. The Ukrainian government may also benefit from the removal of Soviet-era monuments in Ukraine, as part of their decommunization efforts [6] [7] [8].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be misleading as it implies a direct connection between Stalin's death and the removal of the ballerina statue, which is not explicitly stated by any of the sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]. The statement may also be biased towards a particular narrative, as it focuses on the removal of a single statue rather than the broader context of historical revisionism in Russia [2] [4]. The media may benefit from sensationalizing the removal of the ballerina statue, while the Russian government may benefit from downplaying the significance of the event [1] [2]. Historians and human rights activists may benefit from a more nuanced understanding of the context surrounding the removal of the statue [2] [4] [5].

Want to dive deeper?
What was the significance of the ballerina statue on Tverskaya Street?
When exactly was the ballerina statue removed after Stalin's death?
What other monuments were removed in Moscow after Stalin's death in 1953?
Who was responsible for the removal of the ballerina statue on Tverskaya Street?
What is the current status of Stalin-era monuments in modern Russia?