Stalin's Purge 1937 Remembered in Russia
Now in their 70s and 80s, children of the victims of Josef Stalin's political repressions remembered one of the darkest pages of Russia's history at a ceremony Wednesday in central Moscow.
Several hundred people laid flowers and lit candles to honor the victims of the Great Purge of 1937, when millions were labeled "enemies of the state" and executed without trial or sent to labor camps.
The 70th anniversary comes as the Kremlin, focused on restoring Russians' pride in their Soviet-era history, has been trying to soften public perception of Stalin's rule and hushing up the full horror of his crimes.
"Those who call for that are those who have never experienced themselves the hunger, cold and humiliation that we had to go through," said Irina Kalina, 79, who was among those gathered on a square outside what was once KGB headquarters and is now the headquarters of its successor agency, the FSB.
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Several hundred people laid flowers and lit candles to honor the victims of the Great Purge of 1937, when millions were labeled "enemies of the state" and executed without trial or sent to labor camps.
The 70th anniversary comes as the Kremlin, focused on restoring Russians' pride in their Soviet-era history, has been trying to soften public perception of Stalin's rule and hushing up the full horror of his crimes.
"Those who call for that are those who have never experienced themselves the hunger, cold and humiliation that we had to go through," said Irina Kalina, 79, who was among those gathered on a square outside what was once KGB headquarters and is now the headquarters of its successor agency, the FSB.