So Not to Interfere with Russian Patriarch’s Visit, Lenin Statue to be Covered with Sheet

Organizers of the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Ukraine are deciding how to cover the statue of Lenin during the Patriarch’s sermon set to take place in Kharkiv’s central square.

The statue is directly across the stage from where the Patriarch will read his sermon. If things remain as they are, it will seem that the Patriarch is preaching not only to the people, but also to Lenin. There is a proposal to cover the statue with an opaque cloth.

“No such thing occurred during the visits of [Russian President Dmitry] Medvedev and [Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovych,” a source told Glavnoe.ua.

“In particular, an order was made to bring the attractions out of the square and into the park,” said the administration source. As staffers setting up the attractions said, they’re to vacate the premises by May 7.