Source: BBC
Billboards highlighting the role of Joseph Stalin in the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany are to be posted around Moscow for Victory Day. Maria Lipman spoke to BBC about the atmosphere surrounding this decision.
Stalin remains a controversial figure in the Russian history. The public opinion is split between those for whom Stalin is a villain and those for whom he is a hero. Meanwhile, the number of people with an indifferent attitude towards Stalin has significantly grown over the last decade.
This decision of Moscow City Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, the major proponent of this idea, is a political rebellion. It challenges the statements made by President Dmitry Medvedev and Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov. Lipman suggested that Mayor Luzhkov is unlikely to retreat.
