This Victory Day, the May 9 celebration marking Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany, activists are planning to eulogize the anniversary by displaying Joseph Stalin's portrait on the sides of buses in Estonia and Latvia.
"We managed to reach an agreement with companies that provide advertising space on Riga and Tallinn city buses, and the poster that has been prepared for the Baltic capitals is not formally in conflict with the laws of those countries,” said activist Viktor Loginov, according to Interfax.
Loginov said the posters would not display Soviet symbols that are forbidden in the Baltic states alongside with Nazi ones. The posters will depict Stalin in the background of the Bronze Soldier statue and the 1945 victory parade in Moscow.
“As you can see, there are no Soviet symbols on the posters, so we are not breaking any laws,“ said Loginov.
Loginov said funds for the project came from donors from all over the world.
In 2010, the first “Stalin bus” went into service in St. Petersburg, where it drove around for two weeks, during which vandals managed to cover the dictator's portrait with graffiti.
This year, around 20 buses will operate on routes in Russian and Ukrainian cities, according to the organizers.