Nikita’s Kin Wipe Out Sin, His Silly Grin
- Share via
Associated Press
MOSCOW — Relatives of former Soviet leader Nikita S. Khrushchev didn’t like it when the sun shone on the bust at his grave. They thought it gave him a silly grin, so they painted the sculpture darker, a newspaper said Friday.
The bust at the renowned Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow is made of bronze, and sunlight turned it a shade lighter, the newspaper Trud said. In the sunshine, “the smile of the leader turned silly,” it said.
Khrushchev, who died in 1971, is the only former Soviet leader not buried at the Kremlin.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
