The defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II was down to the Soviet people not dictator Joseph Stalin, whose crimes against the nation cannot be justified, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview broadcast on Friday.
Russia marks the 65th anniversary of victory in Europe on Sunday, and the official view of Stalin's role has been controversial. Russia describes its military efforts in 1941-45 as the Great Patriotic War.
Medvedev told the Izvestia newspaper that the state's position was that the dictator committed mass crimes against the people, but he said individuals were entitled to their own opinions.
"There are absolutely obvious things - the Great Patriotic War was won by our people, neither Stalin nor even the generals did anything as important as they did. Yes, their role was, of course, very serious, but at the same time, the people won the war at the cost of great efforts, at the cost of a great many lives," he said in the interview, which was broadcast on state television.
"Some people believe the role of the supreme commander was extraordinary, some believe it was not. The question is not that, but how we appreciate the very figure of Stalin in general. If we talk about the official assessment of Stalin assessed by the government in recent years, since the emergence of the new Russian state, there is a clear assessment - Stalin committed mass crimes against the people. And despite the fact that he worked hard, despite the fact that under his leadership the country succeeded, what was done to its people cannot be forgiven," the president said.
He added that people who hate Stalin or love him are entitled to their point of view.
"And the fact that many veterans, people of the generation of victors have a good view of Stalin - it is not surprising. I think they have that right. Everyone has the right to their own assessment," Medvedev said. "It is another issue that this kind of personal assessment should not affect the state's assessment."
The president categorically rejected the view that Stalinism is experiencing a revival in Russia.
"If we talk about respect for Stalin and some other leaders, then in the 90 years [of communist rule] there were many admirers of this man, but nobody talked about the renaissance of Stalinism," Medvedev said, noting that some historical figures can be idolized, particularly by young people.
"Of course, for most people in the world the figure of Stalin is clear - he does not cause any warm feelings," he said.
"But in any case it cannot be said that Stalinism has returned to our everyday life... This is absolutely ruled out," Medvedev said.
MOSCOW, May 7 (RIA Novosti)
