Russian police have arrested a man who used a sledgehammer to decapitate a bust of Joseph Stalin, Russian state media has reported, citing law enforcement agencies.

Footage from Soviet Street in Zvenigorod, a city in the Moscow Region, captures the man striking a bust of Stalin, causing the head to fall off the shoulders. He is then seen laughing as he walks away from the statue.

The unnamed suspect also damaged a bust of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin before quickly fleeing the scene.

The statue of Stalin was erected in the summer of 2023 by the "Remember Our Heroes" group, a pro-veteran activist organization. Initially, the statue faced demolition as local officials claimed it had been installed without proper authorisation. However, after the group raised their concerns on social media, the decision was overturned, contingent upon the submission of the required approval documents.

Stalin led the Soviet Union until his death in 1953, leaving behind a complex and controversial legacy. Best known in the west for his pogroms and mass executions, in Russia he is also remembered as the man who industrialised a bucolic economy and turned it into a superpower that rivalled the US.  

In modern Russia, he is revered by some as a hero who led the nation to victory over Nazi Germany, while others condemn him for his brutal suppression of dissent, use of forced labour, and deportation of ethnic minorities. Recently, particularly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Stalin has increasingly been rehabilitated as a hero, with numerous busts erected in his honour across the country.

This is not the first incident involving the bust of the Soviet leader since its unveiling. In March 2024, the monument was vandalised, with the letter "t" in Stalin's name altered to "r." In Russian, the word "sral" means "shit."