Inside weird Kremlin market the place ‘horseback Putin’ and different despots purchased for affordable
Shoppers in Russia can pick up creepy mementos of their warmongering leader and the world’s most evil tyrants in a market where the country’s traditional nesting dolls get a sinister modern makeover
Putin rides a bear and scratches his chin in a pose reminiscent of Dr Evil on nesting dolls at Izmailovsky Market, where shoppers can also pick up souvenirs of evil despots such as Stalin (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
As sanctions bite for Russia’s wartime economy, tourists and locals can still enjoy bargain-price souvenirs at the capital’s top flea market, especially if they’re keen on some of history’s vilest despots.
Stalls at Izmailovo Market in Moscow put on a fresh twist on Russia’s ancient nesting dolls, or matryoshka, with mad mementos of Putin and mass killers such as Stalin, alongside traditional images of peasant women in headscarves.
Some keepsakes clearly target foreign visitors. Trump isn’t hard to find and there are lines of historic and current Arab leaders such as the UAE’s Sheikh Zayed and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman. But dolls and shirts for local consumption make a clear and scary statement, such as Putin ludicrously leading a bear on a chain like a raging bulldog.
Russia’s blood-crazed despot stars in a host of crazy ways in the market’s warren of souvenir stalls. He appears in a statesmanlike pose, wearing a suit and tie as he rubs his chin and ponders some key strategic issue.
But the ex-KGB officer also pops up on the dolls as a far-fetched action figure. Shoppers can take home an image of the president pouting in dark shades and wearing a top with a fur-trimmed hood.
Putin also appears on a tee-shirt in camouflage comically astride a giant bear with menacingly open jaws. The gruesome top is hung next to similarly sinister garments.
Another shirt features the skull symbol of the notorious Wagner Group. Its mercenaries played a key role in the invasion of Ukraine until its leaders turned on Putin then died in a mysterious mid-air explosion.
Perhaps reflecting Russia’s increasing reliance on China as its Ukraine invasion approaches its fourth anniversary, a doll features Putin and Xi Jinping together. But each despot appears in front of his country’s own flag, stressing nationalist sentiment.
While Putin’s incursion into Ukraine is estimated to have already killed a million people, shoppers nostalgic for leaders with eight-figure death tolls can pick up a doll of Stalin in military uniform.
Izmailovo Market is ranked the 70th best thing to do in Moscow by TripAdvisor. The site recommends dropping by at the weekend to bargain for a wide variety of reasonably priced souvenirs, crafts, used books, memorabilia, and nesting dolls.
Visitors praise the street market’s “Aladdin’s cave” of souvenirs. They also marvel at prices “a quarter of the price of the tourist areas” while stressing the need to haggle.
Beyond celebrations of Russia’s bloody despots, tourists can find dolls in tune with the peace-loving values of the West. Trump appears not only as a world leader but also as a devoted family man, smiling benignly as his wife and son peer up at him adoringly.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
