Darth Vader Monument — Alexander Milov
Alexander Milov · former Lenin monument at the Pressmash factory, 28 Stovpova Street, Odesa, Ukraine
Photo: as published by Street Art Utopia (uploaded 29 November 2022, used again in the Street Art Utopia post); the photographer is not named. The plaque on the pedestal dates it to before August 2026. Full photograph shown.
In October 2015 Odesa artist Alexander Milov turned the Lenin statue at the Pressmash factory, due to be removed under Ukraine’s new decommunization law, into Darth Vader, with a Wi-Fi router in the helmet. Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · Interfax-Ukraine, 22 Oct 2015 · Meduza, 22 Oct 2015 Checked It was unveiled on 23 October 2015 and is still on its pedestal on the factory grounds: photos dated 12 August 2026 show it there, the day a Russian-language plaque was taken off it. UNIAN photo, 23 Oct 2015 · Times.od.ua, 31 Aug 2026 Checked
4 things to know
- Saved by a costumeThe factory’s Lenin was due to be taken down under the decommunization law. According to Dumskaya, the people working at the enterprises on the Pressmash site and residents of the nearby houses and workers’ hostels asked for the monument to be changed instead. Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · Meduza, 22 Oct 2015 Checked
- One sketch, then a surpriseMilov told Radio Svoboda he drew a single sketch of Vader’s outline over Lenin, asked sculptors to model it, and first saw it when it was finished. He said the finished statue was “glued with NASA glue”. Radio Svoboda, 29 Oct 2015 Reported
- Bronze or plaster?On 22 October 2015 Interfax-Ukraine quoted Milov saying a bronze Lenin remained inside. A week later he told Radio Svoboda he had first thought it was bronze, but the original turned out to be plaster under an embossed copper plate; Dumskaya also reported plaster. We lean towards plaster, because the artist corrected himself after working on it. Interfax-Ukraine, 22 Oct 2015 · Radio Svoboda, 29 Oct 2015 · Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 Conflicting
- The plaque came off in 2026The 2015 plaque, visible in our photo, read in Russian “Darth Vader. To the father of the nation from grateful children and stepchildren!” After a complaint to the government hotline, district officials visited on 12 August 2026, and the plaque was removed that day. Radio Svoboda (Russian service), 28 Oct 2015 · Times.od.ua, 31 Aug 2026 Checked
Where it is
- 📍
- On the grounds of the Pressmash factory, 28 Stovpova Street, in Odesa’s Khadzhibeiskyi district. Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · Times.od.ua, 31 Aug 2026 Checked
- 🚧
- It stands inside the factory grounds, not on the street. In 2017 Vgorode advised visitors to ask the guard at the entrance to be let in; we found no newer visiting advice. Vgorode, 1 Oct 2017 Reported
- 🗺️
- Google Street View has only 2011 imagery of the street outside, from before the conversion, and the statue is not visible from there, so the button opens a plain map. Checked
Sightings
- 201522 Oct
Dumskaya: unveiling tomorrow
- 201523 Oct
UNIAN photo, Oleg Kutsky
- 20171 Oct
Vgorode: how to visit
- 202612 Aug
Official photo, plaque removed
Every stamp links to its source. The amber stamps are reports: Dumskaya’s first report the day before the unveiling, and Vgorode’s 2017 guide to finding the statue. The green stamps are dated photos: Oleg Kutsky’s UNIAN photo from the unveiling day (23 October 2015) and the district administration’s photos dated 12 August 2026, published by Times.od.ua.
On the record
В Одессе Ленин превратился в Дарта Вейдера
In English: In Odesa, Lenin turned into Darth Vader
“Внутри остался бронзовый Ленин, которого благодарные или не очень потомки смогут "эксгумировать", если захотят”
In English: “A bronze Lenin remains inside, which grateful or not-so-grateful descendants will be able to ‘exhume’ if they want.” Milov, quoted the day before the unveiling.
Як Ленін поступився місцем Дарту Вейдеру?
In English: How did Lenin give way to Darth Vader?
“Тому що оригінал гіпсовий, але покритий зверху був мідною викарбуваною пластиною.”
In English: “Because the original is plaster, but it was covered on top with an embossed copper plate.” Milov, a week after the unveiling.
Трансформация Ленина: в Одессе появился первый в мире памятник Дарту Вейдеру
In English: Lenin’s transformation: the world’s first monument to Darth Vader appears in Odesa
“«Прессмашевский» Ленин был сделан из гипса и за десятилетия изрядно обветшал.”
In English: “The Pressmash Lenin was made of plaster and had become badly worn over the decades.”
В Одесі переробили образ Дарта Вейдера, прибравши колоніальні елементи (фото)
In English: In Odesa, Darth Vader’s look was reworked by removing colonial elements (photo)
“Після розмови російськомовну табличку з пам’ятника зняли того ж дня.”
In English: “After the conversation, the Russian-language plaque was removed from the monument the same day.”
The facts
- Title
- No formal title found; the sources call it the monument to Darth Vader (памятник Дарту Вейдеру), and the 2015 plaque, visible in our photo, read “Дарт Вейдер” over the dedication line reported by Radio Svoboda. Radio Svoboda (Russian service), 28 Oct 2015 Unconfirmed
- Artist
- Alexander Milov (Oleksandr Milov), Odesa artist, also known for the sculpture LOVE shown at Burning Man in 2015. Interfax-Ukraine, 22 Oct 2015 · Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · UNIAN photo, 23 Oct 2015 · Radio Svoboda, 29 Oct 2015 Checked
- Unveiled
- 23 October 2015. Dumskaya announced the opening for the next day at 11:00; UNIAN and Radio Svoboda photographed it on 23 October. Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · UNIAN photo, 23 Oct 2015 · Radio Svoboda, 29 Oct 2015 Checked
- Made from
- The Soviet-era Lenin monument on the grounds of the Pressmash factory. Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · Interfax-Ukraine, 22 Oct 2015 · Meduza, 22 Oct 2015 · UNIAN photo, 23 Oct 2015 Checked
- Original Lenin
- Bronze, according to Milov as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine on 22 October 2015; plaster under an embossed copper plate, according to Milov in his Radio Svoboda interview a week later, and plaster according to Dumskaya. We lean towards plaster. Interfax-Ukraine, 22 Oct 2015 · Radio Svoboda, 29 Oct 2015 · Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 Conflicting
- Vader parts
- Titanium alloy, glued to the Lenin figure with a special adhesive, according to Dumskaya; asked by Interfax-Ukraine what the monument was made of, Milov joked: “From Tatooine.” Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · Interfax-Ukraine, 22 Oct 2015 Reported
- Wi-Fi
- A router built into the helmet in 2015 gave out free Wi-Fi. We found no recent source on whether it still works. Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · Meduza, 22 Oct 2015 · UNIAN photo, 23 Oct 2015 Reported
- Height
- More than 5 metres, including a 2.5-metre pedestal. UNIAN photo, 23 Oct 2015 Reported
- Place
- Grounds of the Pressmash factory, 28 Stovpova Street (Stolbovaya in Russian), Odesa, Ukraine; about 46.46992, 30.67304. Dumskaya, 22 Oct 2015 · Vgorode, 1 Oct 2017 · Times.od.ua, 31 Aug 2026 · Culttourism listing Checked
- Plaque
- The 2015 plaque, visible in our photo, read in Russian “Darth Vader. To the father of the nation from grateful children and stepchildren!” It was removed on 12 August 2026. Radio Svoboda (Russian service), 28 Oct 2015 · Times.od.ua, 31 Aug 2026 Checked
- Status
- Seen on 12 August 2026: the district administration’s letter dated 14 August 2026, attached to the Times.od.ua article, records that day’s visit, and the official photo shows the pedestal and the lower half of the figure after the plaque was removed. Times.od.ua, 31 Aug 2026 Checked
- Our photo
- As published by Street Art Utopia (uploaded 29 November 2022); the photographer is not named. It shows the statue with the 2015 plaque still on the pedestal, so it was taken before 12 August 2026. Radio Svoboda (Russian service), 28 Oct 2015 · Times.od.ua, 31 Aug 2026 Checked
Related
- Someone Dressed the Statue (9 Photos): the SAU collection with this statue
- A monument to Lenin transformed into a statue of Darth Vader in Odesa, Ukraine: Street Art Utopia, 2022
- LOVE: another Artwork File on a work by Alexander Milov
- Darth Vader Grotesque: the other Darth Vader in stone, on Washington National Cathedral
All sources (11)
Press
- Dumskaya: “Трансформация Ленина: в Одессе появился первый в мире памятник Дарту Вейдеру”, 22 October 2015. Odesa news site: the Pressmash factory at 28 Stolbovaya Street, the request to change rather than demolish, plaster Lenin, titanium-alloy details, Wi-Fi, opening the next day. In Russian.
- Interfax-Ukraine: “В Одессе Ленин превратился в Дарта Вейдера”, 22 October 2015. Milov’s quotes, including the bronze Lenin inside and “From Tatooine”. In Russian.
- Meduza: “Shedding its Communist past, Odessa converts Lenin statue into a monument to Darth Vader”, 22 October 2015. Based on Dumskaya: the router in the head, the workers’ request.
- Radio Svoboda: “Як Ленін поступився місцем Дарту Вейдеру?”, Dmytro Volchek, 29 October 2015. Interview with Milov: the sketch, the plaster original under a copper plate. In Ukrainian.
- Radio Svoboda (Russian service): “Преображение Ленина в Дарта Вейдера”, Dmitry Volchek, 28 October 2015. The plaque text and the same interview. In Russian.
- Vgorode: “Получи ответ: где в Одессе находится памятник Дарт Вейдеру и как на него посмотреть”, 1 October 2017. Location at 28 Stolbovaya Street and how to get in. In Russian.
- Times.od.ua: “В Одесі переробили образ Дарта Вейдера, прибравши колоніальні елементи (фото)”, Oleksandr Ivanenko, 31 August 2026. The hotline complaint, the visit on 12 August 2026 and the plaque’s removal, with photos; based on odessa-life.od.ua. In Ukrainian.
Photos
- UNIAN: “Памятник Дарту Вейдеру в Одессе”, photo by Oleg Kutsky, 23 October 2015. Caption with the height and the former Pressmash factory. In Russian.
Records
- Culttourism: “Памятник Дарту Вейдеру”. GPS coordinates N46.46992 E30.67304 and the address 28 Stolbovaya Street.
Street Art Utopia
- Street Art Utopia: “Someone Dressed the Statue (9 Photos)”, 21 October 2026. The SAU post with this statue.
- Street Art Utopia: “A monument to Lenin transformed into a statue of Darth Vader in Odesa, Ukraine”, 29 November 2022. Where our photo was first used.
Artwork File · Last checked 21 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files