Scores of Russian communists assembled in Red Square to observe the centenary of Vladimir Lenin's passing, partaking in one of the very few occasions dedicated to honoring the Soviet visionary.

The 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolutionary's death has mostly gone unnoticed by the general population in Russia. However, Lenin remains a revered figure among those who harbor nostalgia for the Soviet Union.

"I came here to honour the memory of Vladimir Lenin -- our leader, the founder of the Soviet state," said 47-year-old Yulia, one of many communists who gathered outside Lenin's mausoleum on Sunday. "His ideas lit the way for many revolutionaries, fighters for the bright future of the people, for justice," she told AFP.

Participants were observed carrying portraits of the deceased leader and waving flags representing the Russian Communist Party, one of the limited political parties permitted to participate in elections.

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"He played a role not only for Russia, but for the whole world," Nikolai, 73, told AFP. "After the revolution, the whole world bourgeoisie was afraid that their workers would also rise up and start a revolution," he said.

"Our country is on the brink," said 78-year-old pensioner Valentina Alexandrovna. "It is basically turning into a colony. And only the Leninist doctrine can equip us to fight against this phenomenon."

Upon Lenin's death on January 21, 1924, Soviet authorities promptly embalmed his body and erected a mausoleum—a red and black polished stone structure situated at the center of Red Square.

In Soviet times, massive crowds formed queues to express their respects to the leader. However, in the present day, his preserved body has predominantly transformed into a tourist attraction.

Remembering Lenin: the man who lifted millions out of the pits of misery

Lenin is credited for formulating a revolutionary strategy that embraced both the industrial proletariat and the populations of colonies and oppressed nations. A crucial element of this strategy was the idea of worker-peasant unity.

In the realm of revolutionary praxis, Lenin played a pioneering role in establishing the revolutionary party organization at the forefront of the working class.

Lenin tirelessly fought to preserve the revolutionary nature of the working class, opposing all forms of reformism and class collaboration.

During his leadership of the Soviet Union, albeit for a brief period, Lenin worked to guide the construction of socialism in the face of numerous challenges. 

Lenin's groundbreaking contributions to understanding imperialism and the enduring relevance of those contributions have had a profound impact on shaping not only historical perspectives but also contemporary analyses of global power dynamics.

During a speech on Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin has openly shunned Lenin for being responsible of the partitioning of the Russian Empire into separate nation-states such as Ukraine. 

"As a result of Bolshevik policy, Soviet Ukraine arose, which even today can with good reason be called 'Vladimir Ilyich Lenin's Ukraine'. He is its author and architect. This is fully confirmed by archive documents ... And now grateful descendants have demolished monuments to Lenin in Ukraine. This is what they call decommunisation. Do you want decommunisation? Well, that suits us just fine. But it is unnecessary, as they say, to stop halfway. We are ready to show you what real decommunisation means for Ukraine," an excerpt from the speech reads. 

It is important to note that Lenin was never responsible for the "creation" of Ukraine, but the decision to establish a Ukrainian soviet republic (Ukrainian SSR) was the result of various factors and challenges which compelled the Bolsheviks to form a separate administration in the aftermath of the 1917 revolution. 

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