Odessa, Ukraine Has Revamped Its Vladimir Lenin Statue Into Darth Vader
Odessa got a little less Communist, and a little more Sith.
It seems a Ukrainian city has embraced the Dark Side. And in their case, it might even be an improvement.
A statue of Vladimir Lenin in Odessa was set to be removed as part of the decommunization initiatives the city passed in April. Part of the legislation bans communist propaganda, including street names, places, and statues. The Lenin statue would have been uprooted before Alexander Milov, an Odessa-based artist, gave the former Soviet premier a Sith facelift. The statue, located near a factory, now resembles Darth Vader, which is apparently the first statue on the planet dedicated to the dark lord’s likeness.
Lenin’s coat has been lengthened to resemble Vader’s cape, while titanium alloy chest pieces have been added to the chest and head to create Vader’s iconic mantle.
Trading one authoritarian with one of the most evil characters in movie history isn’t exactly subtle political commentary. This wasn’t some Banksy-esque sneaky maneuver either: The transformation was actually requested by factory employees and residents of the port city.
A statue of a fictional character like Darth Vader is all well and good, but at least the statue has one benefit: The head is outfitted with a wireless router for a free Wi-Fi connection. It seems people underestimate the power of the Dark Side, but they don’t underestimate the power of free internet.
