13 November 2010, 17:00
Historian who justified deportation of Caucasian nations was beaten in St Petersburg
Unidentified persons attacked Igor Pykhalov, author of books on Soviet history and Internet project "For Stalin!" whose work on Stalin's deportation of Chechens and Ingushes caused mixed reaction, including in the Caucasus.
Pykhalov's beating became known in the evening on November 12, although it happened on November 11. Igor Pykhalov was on his way home, and at about 6:30 p.m., near the entrance to his home he was met by two unidentified men, who were waiting for him, the Fund "Historical Memory" reports. The attack was preceded by a telephone call to his father asking when his son would be home.
According to the historian himself, he was beaten by "two young men of about thirty of non-Slavic appearance." The victim was hospitalized; and doctors diagnosed broken nose, the "Fontanka.Ru" writes.
Igor Pykhalov is the author of several books covering the Stalin era and activities of the NKVD (Ministry of Interior in early USSR), founder of the Internet project "For Stalin!" and author of the boob "The Great War Slandered", in which he treats many myths about Stalin's repressions to be false. The people in the above Fund are sure that the historian has suffered for his civil position.
Mr Pykhalov himself does not exclude that he could be beaten by natives of Northern Caucasus, because his works, in which he wrote about Stalin's deportation of Chechens and Ingushes had repeatedly caused strong dissatisfaction in the Caucasus.
