Soviet Terror organiser Lavrentiy Beria statues to be unveiled in Moscow

Rosatom, a Russian state corporation specialising in nuclear energy, intends to install two “hyperrealist figures” of Lavrentiy Beria, former chief of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD), in the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow. Beria was one of the leaders of Stalinist mass terror and is directly responsible for illegal killings, imprisonment and forced deportation of millions of people.

Open Media, a Russian investigative journalism portal, discovered documents that include technical requirements (a description and a layout) of the Beria figures on Russia’s official government procurement website. The plan was confirmed by a Rosatom representative who said that Beria was the head of the USSR nuclear project and that thanks to his organisational skills, “Soviet Union was able to quickly destroy the US monopoly on nuclear weapons.”

The public procurement’s technical description states that the statues of Beria, member of Stalin’s inner circle and chief of the NKVD, are going to be placed in the exhibition space dedicated to the Soviet nuclear project. Altogether, Rosatom will cover the exhibition cost of 1,28 billion roubles (approximately 14,3 million euros).

According to procurement requirements, the Beria statue must have “a custom made silicone head” with "natural hair" implants.

Lavrentiy Beria was a former chief of USSR’s People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) from 1938 to 1945 and First Deputy Chairman of USSR’s Council of Ministers from 1946 to 1953 (where he oversaw the Ministry of Internal Affairs as well as the Ministry of State Security and was responsible for the nuclear project). Beria belonged to Stalin’s inner circle, planned and executed brutal mass repressions, including deportations from the Baltic countries, and was responsible for the Gulag network of forced labour camps.

Beria was sentenced to death out-of-court and executed in 1953 during an internal power struggle within the party that occurred after Joseph Stalin’s death. On 29 May 2002, Beria was not rehabilitated by the decision of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation due to his involvement in organising political repressions.