Stalin portraits emerge in heart of Ukraine's rebel-held territory
Source: Agence France-Presse
Stalin portraits emerge in heart of Ukraine's rebel-held territory
Agence France-Presse
Monday 19 October 2015 05.47 BST
Three portraits of the former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin are on display in the centre of Donetsk, the rebel capital of eastern Ukraine, as the separatist authorities fuel a mood of Soviet nostalgia.
The Stalin portraits have been placed in the main square and feature a quote from the wartime leader: Our cause is just. The enemy will be routed. We will claim victory.
The previously taboo display comes as the rebels revive Soviet customs to cement their Moscow-backed rule while glossing over Stalins atrocities.
The portraits went down well with one young woman walking past. I think the portraits of Stalin are a good thing. Its our history and a lot of people have forgotten he even existed, said Yekaterina, a 22-year-old student.
The horrors of Stalins repressions and the deaths of up to five million Ukrainians in the 1930s due to famine caused by forced collectivisation go unmentioned.
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Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/19/stalin-portraits-ukraine-rebel-territory