Lenin’s supporters gathered in Moscow, Russia, outside his mausoleum on Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of the father of the Bolshevik revolution and the Soviet Union, AFP reported.

Under a beautiful blue winter sky and despite temperatures of around -15°C, dozens of people lined Red Square in central Moscow to pay their respects, lay flowers or lay their respects to Lenin’s remains.

His mausoleum, the red and black stone building that houses Lenin’s embalmed body, has stood in the shadow of the Kremlin since 1930 and has been a tourist attraction since the collapse of the USSR more than 30 years ago.

Yulia, 47, told AFP that she came to Red Square to “honor the memory of Vladimir Lenin, our leader, the founder of the Soviet state,” who fought “for justice.”

“He played an important role not only for Russia, but also for the whole world,” said 73-year-old Mykola.

This argument is shared by 73-year-old pensioner Olga, who believes that Lenin “really did a lot.” “He created a state,” she summed up for AFP.

Among the few revelers present Sunday, some held portraits of the Soviet leader, who died aged 53 in 1924.

Others carried the red banner of the Communist Party, which remains one of the political parties represented in the Duma and authorized to participate in the elections.

“Lenin is an ideal that should not only be respected, but also followed,” says 78-year-old Valentina Oleksandrivna.

With a small bouquet of flowers in her hand, this pensioner also believes that “only” the Leninist doctrine can allow Russia to “get out of the current situation.” “Our country is on the brink.”