Revisionist historian Vyacheslav Nikonov is set to be become head of Russia’s parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday.
Nikonov currently heads Russian
cultural organization Russky Mir, a state-backed group which aims to
promote Russian language and culture across the globe.
His previous comments on foreign affairs have often been disparaging toward the West, with Nikonov telling
reporters in 2013 that, "The only two episodes when the West viewed
Russia positively were
in 1917 and 1991, when Russia was disintegrating."
Nikonov's work has seen him promote a “patriotic” version of
Russian history in the nation's schools, and serving as the
assistant to the head of the KGB in 1991.
Nikonov's grandfather, Vyacheslav Molotov, rose to power as a protégé of
Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
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