62 Years On, Some Still Mourn for Josef Stalin

A man holds up a sign saying: "Stalin and the people = victory," in honor of the 62nd anniversary of Stalin's death at Red Square.



Sixty-two years ago today, on March 5, 1953, dictator Josef Stalin died after serving as head of the Soviet Union for almost three decades.



Stalin remains a popular figure in Russia, despite overseeing the deaths of millions of people in politically motivated purges. Hundreds of people gathered at Moscow's iconic Red Square on Monday to honor the leader's death and lay red carnations at his tomb.



While Westerners tend to? associate Stalin's legacy with oppressive measures, many Russians credit Stalin with victory in? World War II and? continue to? celebrate the? Soviet Union's achievements.



A recent survey conducted by independent pollster Levada Center found that 52 percent view Stalin in a positive light.

Members of Russia's Communist Party hold red carnations as they walk towards Stalin's tomb on Red Square.



Leader of the Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov (center) in a speech praised Stalin as a "distinguished state and political figure," Reuters reported.

Politicians pose for photographs in front of the tomb of Bolshevik revolutionary Lenin.

Members of biking club The Night Wolves also attended the commemoration.

Standing next to Night Wolves gang leader Alexander Zaldostanov, widely known as "the Surgeon," a man holds up a sign saying: "You are so missed...at this time of war."