Аннотация:This article is an attempt to explain the reasons for the restoration of Soviet symbols in those regions of Ukraine that have come under Russian control as a result of the current conflict, using the concepts of ‘crisis of representation’ and ‘grassroots patriotism.’ It stresses that what ishappening cannot be explained as “the restoration of Soviet totalitarianism” with support from the Russian authorities, who take a different position towards the Soviet past. It is also shown that the appeal to Soviet values is an obvious consequence of the trauma of the 1990s, experienced by the entire post-Soviet space, that has not been overcome in mass mentality and the ideological domain.