He turned Russia into a giant concentration camp, killing tens of millions of people. So why do so many Russians regard him as a hero and long for another Joseph Stalin?
View Stalin Nostalgia - Russia. Video hosted on Youtube. He's the man who created our country. How can you not love him?" proclaims one elderly lady. "He was just, honest. When he died, we were all crying." Stalin has long been admired by the older generation, who grew up in a world where the Soviet Union was respected and feared. The difference now is that some of their grandchildren agree. "For me, he's the figure who played the greatest role in the 20th century," states 23 year old Alexei Sidorov. For the first time in decades, new statues of Stalin are going up. Streets and parks are being named after him and there's fresh interest in his life. But that's angering as many Russians as it's pleasing. "Stalin, in my opinion, shouldn't be remembered at all," states Joe Glazer. He was arrested in one of Stalin's purges and sent to the gulags. But increasingly he finds himself in a minority. "People need a hero," explains human rights worker Grigory Shvedov. For todays Russians, a strongman like Stalin is just what the country needs.
Travel information
Hardship wrapped in history inside splendour.
Churchill's 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma' remains an apt description of Russia; most outsiders have only a hazy idea of its realities. A composite of the extravagant glories of old Russia and the drab legacies of the Soviet era, it's a country that both befuddles and beguiles. This is a land of snow and deadly winters, but also of rivers that meander across meadows and a midsummer sun that never sets. Its people, in the words of a Russian proverb, 'love to suffer', yet they also love to party and can be disarmingly generous and hospitable.
July and August are the warmest months and the main holiday season. If you want to avoid the crowds, try May-June or September-early-October. In early autumn the leaves are turning and you can pick mushrooms and berries. Although winter is bitter, theatres open, the vodka comes out, buildings are warm and the snow is beautiful. Spring is slushy, muddy and generally horrible. Definitely try to avoid late Feb, March and early April.
Travellers are strongly advised against travel to Chechnya, Dagestan and neighbouring Ingushetia. Military clashes, kidnapping of aid workers and foreigners, violent crimes and muggings are prevalent. Other areas of concern include North Ossetia, Stavropol, Karachayevo-Cherkessiya and Kabardino-Balkariya. Events in all these places are difficult to gauge and can change rapidly. On-the-ground consular support regarding these destinations can be negligible or non-existent. Russian authorities have warned of the possibility of terrorist attacks in major centres, including Moscow.
From: Journeyman Pictures
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