The flowers, wrapped in paper to shield them from the icy wind, were not only a symbol of mourning.
They also served as a form of protest in a country where even the mildest dissent can risk detention.
“He didn’t die, he was killed,” said Alla, 75, a pensioner who declined to give her last name because of possible repercussions.
“Theoretically, we knew that they wanted to destroy him,” said her friend Elena, 77, whose arm was interlaced with Alla’s.
“But when it happened it was such a shock, the senseless brutality of it, just senseless.” She found out what had happened when her daughter and granddaughter called her in tears to share the news.
Persons:
Aleksei A, Stalin, ”, Alla, Elena
Locations:
Russian