Stalin and Lenin Replace Cupid on Valentine’s Day in Temporary Russian-Occupied Luhansk

Russian authorities staged a propaganda event in the temporarily occupied city of Luhansk on February 14, replacing Valentine’s Day celebrations with a campaign promoting Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

This was reported by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication “Spravdi” via X on February 17.

According to the statement, representatives of Russian communist groups and so-called “Komsomol  members” distributed themed postcards featuring portraits of Stalin and Vladimir Lenin instead of traditional Valentine’s cards. The materials, referred to by organizers as “Stalinites” and “Leninites,” were handed out to local residents during a public gathering in the city.

Event organizers reportedly claimed that February 14 should not be associated with expressions of love, but rather with “honoring Soviet and Orthodox holidays.” They described Valentine’s Day as an “imposed Catholic holiday” and instead tied the date to the anniversary of what they called the “liberation” of Luhansk.

“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,” Spravdi added.

In a separate development reflecting the revival of Soviet-era narratives, Russia is preparing a new university-level economics textbook that will incorporate the writings of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and question what its authors describe as prevailing “myths” about democracy and protectionism.

Valery Fadeyev, chairman of Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, said the 350–400 page volume, titled Essays on Economics and Economic Science, could be introduced as early as the next academic year. The textbook is intended for non-specialist students, including those studying sociology, political science, and history.

According to Fadeyev, the objective is “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.”

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He also indicated that the book would challenge the notion that protectionism is inherently damaging and dispute the idea that economic prosperity is exclusive to democratic systems.

“That’s not true. If we look at economic history, it’s described in textbooks, including Western ones—economic growth has always happened in countries with a more or less strict regime,” he said.

Earlier, a television channel operated by Russia’s Defense Ministry broadcast footage from a drone manufacturing site in Tatarstan showing teenagers — including ninth-grade students — participating in the large-scale assembly of Shahed-type attack drones deployed against Ukraine.

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