Residents of Kaspiysk were skeptical about the appearance of Stalin Square

Some of the city residents surveyed considered the renaming of the square in Kaspiysk to be an unproductive imitation of the activities of city officials, while others considered it a justified step. The arguments in favor of renaming the square are extremely weak, the historian pointed out.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, the Kaspiysk administration announced that the Central Square in front of the Dagdizel plant is now named after Joseph Stalin. The decision to name the square after Stalin was made by a resolution of the Kaspiysk urban district administration dated March 25, 2025, as follows from the inscription on the board with a portrait of the "leader of the peoples." Stalin supported the initiative to create the enterprise around which Kaspiysk grew, representatives of the Dagdizel plant said at the square renaming ceremony.

It is difficult to say whether the square named after Stalin is the territory of the plant or belongs to the city: in recent years, the property of Dagdizel has been sold or transferred to the balance sheet of the municipality, so now it is difficult to determine what remains the property of the plant and what does not, residents of Kaspiysk interviewed told a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot".

They expressed different opinions about the renaming itself and the ideological significance of this step, although they avoided open criticism. "I understand that I was not asked, but as a Kaspiysk resident I will answer - I do not care what any plot of land in the city is called, it is more important that it is clean and tidy. The pride is not in the name, but in what is planned to be created on this plot of land," believes Madina.

"I support this decision. Under Stalin, the country flourished, won a bloody war. There was the only prolonged deflation in history, right up until his death. And this is the least that can be said about Stalin's rule," believes Magomed.

"There are many problems in Kaspiysk that are more important than this event. The city constantly has power outages, water, garbage is not taken out on time. Why these unnecessary renamings? The mayor's office would do better to mind its own business," said Aminat.

"The Dagdizel plant was built under Stalin, which later became the city-forming enterprise. Therefore, its name should be immortalized," said Abdurashid.

Lawyer points out the possibility of canceling the decision

In many municipalities, the procedure for changing the names of streets and squares is regulated and requires surveys or public hearings with the participation of residents, lawyer Ali Aliyev told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"If the charter of a municipality does not require mandatory public hearings for renaming, the authorities can make decisions on their own. However, this may cause controversy, as was the case in Kirov, where in 2024 the Revolution Square and the square to the fighters of the Revolution were renamed "Alexander Nevsky Square" and "Spasskaya Square". This decision was challenged by the prosecutor's office at the request of residents. The area near the Dagdizel plant can be considered adjacent to the enterprise, which most likely influenced the authorities' decision not to hold public discussions. In this case, residents of Kaspiysk should familiarize themselves with the charter of the municipality and the rules for renaming to determine whether the procedure was violated. If the requirements of the city charter were not met, the decision can be challenged through the prosecutor's office or the court," the lawyer said.

Historian considers renaming an initiative of local officials

The argument in favor of renaming presented by the Kaspiysk authorities is clearly insufficient for such a decision, according to historian Yan Rachinsky*.

"When renaming (an object) in honor of someone, it is necessary to evaluate the person's actions as a whole. Stalin was the bloodiest tyrant in relation to his own people, but the trouble is that he was not officially, through the court, recognized as a criminal, including a war criminal. And if we rename it like that, then in Germany too we can name the autobahns in honor of Hitler, who sanctioned their construction," he told a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot."

Assessing how the renaming of the square correlates with political trends towards selective mentions of Stalin only in a positive light, Rachinsky* emphasized that high-ranking officials do not publicly glorify Stalin.

"What happened is the activity of lower-ranking officials who think to please the hidden desires of their superiors. I think that this will not last too long and objects named after Stalin will be renamed for the second time in the last century," he said.

* are included in the register of foreign agents.

** the activities of the Meta company (which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) are prohibited in Russia.