The Russians have not decided what to do with Lenin’s body

January 21 marked 100 years since the death of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. As shown by the fresh survey VTsIOM, on the question of the fate of the leader’s body, Russians are divided into three approximately equal parts – those who advocate a speedy burial, those who propose to wait, and those who want to leave him in the Mausoleum. In total, the share of supporters of reburial is larger (57%), they differ only in time. For comparison, in 2011, 43% of respondents supported a speedy burial (13 percentage points more), and 18% wanted to wait (9 percentage points less). Such results indicate that the public demand for the leader’s speedy reburial is gradually becoming a thing of the past.

The survey also showed that almost half of the respondents had a rather positive view of Lenin (47%), while only 15% had a negative view. Another third are indifferent to him. Every third (36%) believes that his activities brought more benefit to the country, every fifth (19%) – more harm. The rest either answered that there was an equal share of both, or were undecided. According to the majority of respondents, in 40–50 years he will be remembered as the founder of the Soviet state and leader, for whom the interests of the working people came first.