Lenin's tomb reopens after renovation The Lenin Mausoleum, which stands just outside the Kremlin walls on Red Square, had not seen any major works for 80 years, according to the Kremlin's secret service FSO, which is responsible for the building. Debates on whether to remove the body permanently from the mausoleum constructed in 1924, when Lenin died at age 53, started after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Though the mausoleum remains a tourist attraction, increasing numbers of Russians are calling for Lenin to be buried. The Russian Communist party opposes the idea. In the latest big debate on the issue last year, the ruling party United Russia launched a campaign for Lenin's burial, but the discussion was short lived. At that time, 56 per cent of Russians said it would be better to bury Lenin, while 31 per cent said his body should be left alone, according to a Levada poll. President Vladimir Putin said in December, before the repair work began, that the body reflects Russian tradition. He controversially compared it to the ancient Orthodox relics of saints displayed in monasteries in Russia, Ukraine, and Greece. "The Communists have taken on the tradition," he said at the time. They did this with knowledge and considering the needs of their time.