Stalin's death anniversary reminds of love and hatred for "leader of nations" in Caucasus

66 years ago, Joseph Stalin died on March 5, 1953. Fans of the "leader of nations" express sympathy for the Stalinist methods of government, while many residents of Northern Caucasus consider Stalin guilty of the mass deportation of peoples.

In May 2016, the "Levada Centre" registered an increase in the Russian citizens' sympathy for Stalin. Against the background of the arbitrariness of officials and law enforcers, residents of Northern Caucasus find more and more positive features in the methods of Stalin's rule, political analysts explain.

On May 9, 2016, a Stalin's bust was opened in the village of Ozrek in Kabardino-Balkaria. The interest in the Stalin's personality is caused by "the desire of people to live according to clear rules," explains Boris Pashtov, the chairman of the CPRF's committee in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR). According to him, people want to see discipline and "rigidity in relation to those engaged in stealing."

Busts, monuments, and museums of Stalin were also opened in North Ossetia.

Actions to commemorate Stalin are regularly held in his homeland, in the Georgian city of Gori.

Meanwhile, the restoration of monuments to Stalin is criticized by rights defenders, and the monuments themselves are often the targets of attack. So, on January 19, 2013, in the Georgian village of Zemo Alvani, unidentified persons poured paint on a monument to Stalin.

On April 27, 2015, the capital of Dagestan arranged billboards with the portraits of Stalin on the eve of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Several days later, the billboards were removed. A source in the Makhachkala City Mayoralty explained the removal of billboards with discontent in social networks.

On February 22, 2019, on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Stalinist deportation of Chechen and Ingush people, Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the leader of Ingushetia, declared Stalin "the enemy number one" for all deported peoples.