Russia secretly relocates the remains of General Potemkin, admired by Putin

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Russia recently relocated the remains of General Potemkin, which were kept at St. Catherine's Cathedral in Kherson Oblast, to another location. The photo shows portraits of General Potemkin and Empress Yekaterina.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] It has been reported that the remains and statue of General Potemkin, buried in the occupied territory of Kherson Province in Ukraine, have been moved to an undisclosed location by the Russian military.

According to reports from CNN and others on the 28th (local time), the Russian military recently announced that they relocated the remains and statue of General Grigory Potemkin, who was buried in St. Catherine's Cathedral in Kherson City, the capital of Kherson Province, to a safe place.

Potemkin (1774?1791) was an 18th-century Russian politician and army general, known as a close confidant of Empress Yekaterina and speculated to have been her lover at one time. In 1783, he played a major role in annexing the Crimean Peninsula to Russia by signing a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire (present-day T?rkiye). For this achievement, he was appointed Field Marshal and later built the city of Sevastopol in Crimea, turning it into a major naval base. He also founded the Black Sea Fleet and played a decisive role in Russia's victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768?1774. Because of his contributions to the glorious history of the Russian Empire, he is respected by Russian far-right groups, including President Putin.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, his name has been frequently mentioned alongside the term 'Novorossiya (New Russia)'.

Novorossiya refers to the direct rule territory established by Empress Yekaterina in 1783 over newly occupied lands, encompassing southeastern Ukraine. In his speech on the 30th of last month regarding the annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine, President Putin referred to these areas as Novorossiya and stated that Potemkin was one of the key figures who created Novorossiya.

However, the name 'Potemkin' is also well-known for its negative connotation. The term 'Potemkin village' is used to describe a situation where an unsightly truth is concealed behind a flashy facade. This originates from the story that after annexing Crimea, General Potemkin showed Empress Yekaterina a fake village made of cardboard with a convincing appearance to impress her. Later, American economist Paul Krugman referred to Russia's economy as a 'Potemkin economy,' meaning it looks fine on the outside but is rotten inside.

The location to which Potemkin's remains were moved has not been disclosed, but Russia has stated that they will return the remains to their original place once the situation in Kherson stabilizes.

Meanwhile, there is speculation that Russia moved Potemkin's remains because the military situation in the Kherson region has deteriorated. Recently, Ukraine has declared its intention to reclaim Kherson and Crimea, achieving a series of successful counterattacks in surrounding areas. In response, the Russian military has issued evacuation orders to Russian-speaking residents in Kherson and is preparing for intense battles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.