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Pro-war artist replaces ‘Living My Best Life’ inscription at Instagram-famous St. Petersburg bus stop with Putin quote and drone decals
St Petersburg’s Instagram-famous “Naberezhnaya Miklukho-Maklaya” bus stop has had its “Living My Best Life” inscription replaced with pro-war decals showing Geran drones and a quote from Vladimir Putin. The change removes a phrase that helped make the stop a popular photo spot overlooking the Gulf of Finland, and brings pro-war imagery into a public setting.
The decals were put up by artist Alexey Chizhov, who said he timed them to coincide with the “Founding Day of the Unmanned Systems Forces”. Chizhov teaches at Herzen University and has exhibited work at the Erarta gallery since 2011; his more recent projects include exhibitions at the Wagner Group Center and St Petersburg House of Writers, as well as a 2026 campaign placing pro-war bookmarks in local bookshops.
In short
- A popular St Petersburg bus stop’s inscription has been replaced.
- New decals depict Geran drones and a Putin quote.
- Artist Alexey Chizhov said the timing marked a military forces’ founding day.
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The case for
Supporters may see the decals as a legitimate artistic intervention that brings a message about Russia’s war and military technology into everyday public space. They could argue that the bus stop’s popularity makes it a visible place to express political convictions, and that replacing a lifestyle slogan with a statement tied to a national observance gives the site a more pointed meaning.
The case against
Critics may argue that turning a popular shared amenity into a platform for pro-war messaging imposes a political statement on people who use the stop, while removing an inscription associated with the place’s appeal. They could also object that celebratory drone imagery and a leader’s quote normalise or glorify war in a public setting, particularly when the change was made by an individual rather than through a broadly agreed public process.
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