Stalin Calendar in Siberian Bookstores Sparks Local Backlash

Nov. 29, 2017

A major bookstore chain was spotted selling a 2018 calendar devoted to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin at its branch in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, sparking a backlash among local citizens this week.

Public opinion in Russia is bitterly divided over Stalin's dual legacy of murdering and repressing millions of Soviet people while overseeing rapid industrial growth and the defeat of Nazi Germany.

A recent poll conducted in Russia ranked the Soviet dictator as the world’s most outstanding figure.

A Facebook user snapped a photo of the Stalin calendar in a Yekaterinburg “Chitai-Gorod” bookstore Monday, saying they sell for 450 rubles ($7.7).

The store’s website removed the wall calendar after a backlash from local residents, the news website Znak.com reported Wednesday.

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