Kathrine Frich
What is usually a day of flowers and love letters looked very different this year in one Russian-occupied Ukrainian city.
Instead of hearts and roses, portraits of Soviet leaders were handed out in a display that critics say highlights Moscow’s growing push to revive Soviet imagery in territories under its control.
Soviet-themed celebration
Russian-installed authorities organized an event in temporarily occupied Luhansk on February 14 that replaced Valentine’s Day celebrations with a campaign centered on Joseph Stalin, according to Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication “Spravdi,” which reported the development on February 17 via X.
Photos shared by the center show participants dressed in Soviet-era uniforms distributing heart-shaped cards featuring Stalin and Vladimir Lenin.
Organizers reportedly referred to the postcards as “Stalinites” and “Leninites.”
According to Spravdi, the event was led by representatives of Russian communist groups and members of the Komsomol youth movement.
Participants wore red caps and jackets bearing the symbols of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
Rejecting Valentine’s Day
Organizers were quoted as saying February 14 should not celebrate romantic love but instead mark “Soviet and Orthodox holidays.”
They reportedly described Valentine’s Day as an “imposed Catholic holiday” and linked the date to what they called the “liberation” of Luhansk.
Spravdi stated:
“Participants of the action walked in red caps, jackets with the symbols of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and Soviet military uniforms, handing out red hearts with portraits of Stalin, Lenin, and other Soviet Union figures to local residents.”
Luhansk has been under Russian occupation since the early stages of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Broader Soviet revival
The event comes amid broader signs of a renewed focus on Soviet-era narratives inside Russia.
Valery Fadeyev, head of Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, recently announced plans for a new university-level economics textbook that would include writings by Stalin and challenge what he described as prevailing “myths” about democracy and protectionism.
According to Fadeyev, the book, titled Essays on Economics and Economic Science, could be introduced next academic year for non-specialist students.
He said the aim was “not to refute something, not to denounce liberalism,” adding: “Liberalism is simply too narrow. Our task is to show students the full breadth and complexity of life.”
Earlier, a Russian Defense Ministry television channel also broadcast footage showing teenagers, including ninth-grade students, assembling Shahed-type attack drones in Tatarstan.
Sources: Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication “Spravdi”. United24media.
