New | In a first, Russia unveils monument to Ivan the Terrible
Tsar Ivan IV set up secret police in 16th century to spread terror and execute thousands
Russia on Friday inaugurated a controversial and first ever monument to Ivan the Terrible, a 16th-century tyrant whose rehabilitation has been lobbied for by officials despite protests from historians and locals.
Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich ruled Russia from 1547 to 1584 and earned the moniker “Terrible” due to his brutal policy of oprichnina, which included the creation of a secret police that spread mass terror and executed thousands of people.
The governor of Russia’s Oryol region, some 335 kilometres (200 miles) south of Moscow, has nonetheless backed the monument, saying during its inauguration Friday that Ivan the Terrible “was a defender of our land, a tsar who expanded its frontiers.”
Standing before a crowd brandishing black and yellow imperial flags favoured by Russia’s nationalists, governor Vadim Potomsky said Ivan the Terrible protected Russia and the Orthodox faith from enemies.
The bronze monument, a figure clad in royal robes sitting on a horse and holding up an Orthodox cross, was erected in the city of Oryol because authorities there say he founded the regional centre.