Articles - The Moscow Times

Support The Moscow Times!

Contribute today

complicated legacy

Russian Communist Unveils Stalin Statue on WWII Anniversary

Local authorities say the 3-meter monument is illegal.

revising history

Russian City Removes Plaques Memorializing Polish POWs Massacred By Stalin

Poland responded to the removal by accusing Russia of “following in the footsteps ... of Soviet Stalinist totalitarianism.”

church and state

Russia’s New Military Mega-Church to Feature Putin, Stalin, Crimea Mosaics

The Russian Orthodox Church called the depictions "appropriate."

SCENT OF TERROR

Activists Evoke Stalin's Terror in Perfume

The unpleasant scent is a protest against the revamping of a notorious former Soviet courthouse into a perfume shop.

opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

The Return of Stalinist Show Trials

The extreme sentences handed down to defendants in what is being called the “Network Case” is an ominous sign.

opinion Kirill Martynov

Russia Is Reverting to Stalinist Patterns

A prologue to the 2020s in Russia.

Children of Stalin’s Terror Win Crucial Housing Case

They are now entitled to state housing in the cities their parents were deported from during the Stalinist repressions.

Stalin in Dress Caricature Pushes Russian Magazine Off the Shelves

The caricature featured Stalin in a wedding gown holding hands with Hitler.

HISTORICAL DEFENSE

Putin Says It’s ‘Cynical’ to Blame Stalin for World War II

The president highlighted the Soviet Union’s role in defeating the Nazis.

opinion Ilya Nuzov

The Kremlin Is Trying to Whitewash Russia’s Stalinist Past

Driven by the desire to forge a strong national identity, the authorities are excavating the graves of victims of Soviet repression.

Graphic re-enactment

'Death to Traitors': Russian Festival Stages Mock WWII Execution

Some viewers called the display “sick,” while others maintained that “people should know [this happened].”

opinion Leonid Bershidsky

Putin Needs to Bury This Relic of Stalin

Russia can't let go of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, 80 years after it was signed. Until it does, eastern European leaders are right to be nervous.

Posthumous lawsuit

Russian Ex-Official Tries to Sue Stalin, Told There Are ‘No Signs of Crime’

“There’s currently no legal assessment, that’s why the cult of Stalin remains,” Igor Stepanov said.

Scandalous satire

Moscow Cinema Accuses Authorities of Censorship in ‘Death of Stalin’ Row

Pioner Cinema was raided and fined for screening the controversial film in Moscow last year.

'The people's butcher'

Assailants Attack Stalin Sculpture and Communist Party Office in Russia

Video shows four men booby-trapping the party office door with an explosive device.

grotesque gaming

'Sex With Stalin' BDSM Game Enrages Russian Communists

The Communists of Russia party says the game "has to be banned."

Siberian Communists Unveil Stalin Monument Amid Controversy

The monument reflects Stalin's complicated legacy in modern-day Russia.

Gulag Documentary Takes Russian YouTube by Storm

The project aims to strike a balance between addressing serious subject matter while still appealing to younger audiences.

opinion Maxim Trudolyubov

Stalin’s Record Approval Rating Is a Sign of Growing Discontent

The country is yearning for a "hero" of the past to correct the ills of society.

Stalin’s Approval Rating Among Russians Hits Record High – Poll

The Soviet leader is increasingly viewed as a "symbol of justice."

View more articles