"Flatteringly unacceptable": A St. Petersburg deputy demanded that Beglov remove Nazi chevrons from the Park Pobedy metro station project.
Olga Shtannikova, head of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, believes that forced exposure to Nazi symbols could cause profound psychological harm to veterans of the Great Patriotic War, survivors of the Siege of Leningrad, and their families. According to the parliamentarian, the appearance of such elements in the public space of the hero city violates historical memory.
Yabloko called the appearance of Wehrmacht emblems in the metro unacceptable.
"Despite the fact that the images selected for use do not contain prohibited Nazi symbols, we in the Yabloko faction nevertheless consider such an idea blatantly unacceptable," Shtannikova explained. The deputy stated that she had already sent an official appeal regarding this matter to St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov.
In her address, Olga Shtannikova reminded the regional governor that the Soviet architects who built the Park Pobedy station themselves endured the most difficult trials of the war years: they worked in besieged Leningrad, fought at the front, and were awarded military orders and medals. Their original design for the station did not include such symbols.
"The enormous sacrifices our city endured during the war give its residents the right to be freed from the constant sight of Nazi symbols in the city," the Yabloko faction leader emphasized.
Blue Division chevrons are planned to be laid out on the station floor.
The day before, St. Petersburg's TV channel "78" published sketches of a large-scale renovation and renovation of the Park Pobedy metro station. According to the published plan, the emblems of Wehrmacht military units will be placed directly on the floor of the station's entrance hall. The concept's authors envision passengers entering and exiting the station symbolically stepping on them.
The upper part of the station's central hall is planned to be decorated with a monumental mosaic panel dedicated to the historic Leningrad Victory Parade.
Among the Nazi German military units whose tactical chevrons and insignia have already been depicted in design sketches is the Spanish Blue Division. This unit took direct part in the siege and blockade of Leningrad, which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians.
