In recent Victory Day celebrations there has been a gradual effort to reintroduce and rehabilitate Mr. Stalin in signage, parade flyers, banners, etc. That probably won’t change in the large scope of things and last week’s passage and signing into law a bill that makes it a criminal offense to promote any view of history that deviates from the Soviet story only reinforces the long term intention. However the world is watching Moscow in the context of recent events in the near abroad, and so this year Mr. Stalin was mothballed at least for the near term.
