Russian Communists Mark 70-Year Anniversary of Stalin's Death
More than 1,000 people attended a ceremony on Red Square on Sunday to mark the 70th anniversary of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's death.
Led by Russia's Communist Party, the event drew people waving Soviet flags or holding portraits of Stalin at the site on the Kremlin wall where he is buried.
Stalin's image has been gradually restored in Russia in recent decades despite the atrocities carried out under his rule — and his legacy looms over Russia's present-day offensive on Ukraine.
Here's a look at photos from Sunday's event:
Led by Russia's Communist Party, the event drew people waving Soviet flags or holding portraits of Stalin at the site on the Kremlin wall where he is buried.
Stalin's image has been gradually restored in Russia in recent decades despite the atrocities carried out under his rule — and his legacy looms over Russia's present-day offensive on Ukraine.
Here's a look at photos from Sunday's event:
Russian Communist Party members lay flowers at Stalin's grave by the Kremlin wall.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov laying flowers at Stalin's grave.
Sergei Kiselev / Moskva News Agency
Many Russians credit Stalin for the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, which is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
But Stalin oversaw a widespread system of repressions including the Gulag prison camp system, internal deportations and mass executions.
Sergei Kiselev / Moskva News Agency
Russian officials have hearkened back to the Soviet victory in World War II in their justification for the present-day invasion of Ukraine, claiming without evidence that Russia is now fighting to defeat "Nazis" in Ukraine.
Kyiv says Moscow's offensive is driven by Stalin-era imperialism, while the sweeping repression of critics inside Russia is reminiscent of Soviet methods.
Kyiv says Moscow's offensive is driven by Stalin-era imperialism, while the sweeping repression of critics inside Russia is reminiscent of Soviet methods.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
In recent years, a handful of Russian cities have erected busts of Stalin.
Sergei Kiselev / Moskva News Agency
During his lifetime, Stalin cultivated a massive cult of personality that saw him glorified as an all-powerful, all-knowing leader in nearly every aspect of public life.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
Russian officials today have downplayed Stalin's repressions — and in 2021, authorities ordered the dissolution of Memorial, the human rights society that was instrumental in exposing the darkest legacies of the Soviet Union.
Sergei Kiselev / Moskva News Agency
Stalin's death was satirized in the 2017 film "The Death of Stalin." The film was ultimately banned in Russia, with officials accusing it of spreading "anti-Russian propaganda."
Sergei Kiselev / Moskva News Agency
At Sunday's event on Red Square, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said President Vladimir Putin is fighting against the "liquidation of ...not just the Russian state ... but ... [of] the entire Russian world."
Sergei Kiselev / Moskva News Agency
