A replica of a Soviet-era statue of Josef Stalin has been unveiled in a Moscow metro station as part of an attempt by the Kremlin to reappraise the dictator’s legacy. The life-sized sculpture, titled “Gratitude of the People to the Leader-Commander” and dedicated to the Red Army’s victory in World War II, is a replica of an original work that according to the Moscow metro was “lost” during a renovation of Taganskaya metro station in 1966. It depicts Stalin surrounded by a crowd of citizens looking on at him adoringly. Former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounced Stalin for his brutality and campaign of mass murder upon coming to power in 1956 and oversaw a “de-Stalinization” campaign that involved removing images and monuments of the dictator from public places. Although some monuments of him have resurfaced in recent years, his legacy remains a painful one for many Russians. When asked if he admired the former leader in 2017, Vladimir Putin responded “of course,” but added, “This does not mean that we should forget all the horrors of Stalinism, connected with concentration camps and the extermination of millions of our compatriots.”
