In the provincial city of Oryol, 230 miles from Moscow, preparations for the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi forces on May 9, known as Victory Day in Russia, have been underway for more than two weeks. The streets are plastered with billboards depicting scenes from WWII, and Stalin’s face gleams from signs on boths sides of the main avenue. Inside the train station, animated maps trace the 1943 Soviet counter-offensive against German forces. A documentary about that feat plays on repeat in the waiting room.
Across town, sculptor Dmitry Basarev has just finished his most unexpected commission to …read more
Source: European Voice
