The standing of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin has risen to its highest level in more than a decade following a sustained Kremlin campaign to stress the tyrant's achievements, a new poll shows. More than one third of Russians believed Stalin's leadership during the Second World War vindicated his murderous reign at the helm of the Soviet Union. Almost as many believe that Russia needs a leader like Stalin today.
The survey was released as the Russian Communist party, the second biggest party in parliament, celebrated the 130th anniversary of Stalin's birth.
Supporters laid wreaths at Stalin's grave by the Kremlin wall as party leaders compared his "immortal" achievements to Tsar Peter the Great and Vladimir Lenin.
"He was our saviour," said Viktor Ilyukhin, a Communist MP, referring to Stalin's leadership during the Second World War. "If it was not for him we would have had a German Buchenwald in the Urals and Siberia."
Respect for Stalin has steadily grown since Vladimir Putin wrested control of the political landscape in 2000.
The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre this month found that 21 per cent or almost one quarter of the population regarded Stalin as "a wise leader," compared with 16 per cent in 1998.
The proportion of people who said they thought Stalin's wartime leadership outweighed any "mistakes" had increased to 35 per cent.
Almost one third said they thought Russia needed a leader like Stalin today, while a similar number recognised Stalin as a murderous tyrant,.
Human rights activists, liberal historians and the Russian Orthodox Church urged people to take a more critical view of a man who by some estimates was responsible for the deaths of around 20 million victims.
"If we do not want a return to Stalinist terror and a totalitarian regime then we have to battle this with all our might," said Ludmila Alexeyeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki group.
The Kremlin has encouraged nostalgia for Stalin as changing perceptions help underpin the dominance of the ruling party within the political system. By stoking patriotism the Kremlin has also become adept at manipulating public opinion.
A handbook for history teachers emphasises Stalin's role as "an effective manager," while a state-sponsored contest to identify Russia's greatest historical figure last year put Stalin in third place.
Stalin's grandson has also been allowed to use Russia's legal system to sue journalists he deems guilty of defaming his infamous relative. State-controlled TV documentaries marking the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War this year paid generous tribute to "Uncle Joe" .
Mr Putin, the prime minister, gave a less than ambiguous assessment of Stalin earlier this month, urging people to weigh up the dictator's good and bad points. "In my view, you cannot make one overall assessment," he said. "Any historical events need to be analysed in their entirety."
