Lavrov’s statements about Stalin become part of “Edinaya Rossiya” Party’s election campaign

The statements about Joseph Stalin voiced by Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, are designed to ensure support for the “Edinaya Rossiya” (United Russia) Party among Stalinists, many of whom live in the Volgograd Region, political analysts suggest.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on August 30, at a meeting with war veterans in Volgograd, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that attempts to portray Joseph Stalin as the main villain of his era were aimed at weakening Russia politically.

Sergey Lavrov is one of the five leaders of the “Edinaya Rossiya” Party’s electoral list, and his statement is intended for voters who have a positive attitude towards Joseph Stalin, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent has been told by Elena Sharkova, a public relations specialist at the Centre for International Humanitarian Cooperation.

“Mr Lavrov is a politician with delicate balance and a skilful diplomat. It was not by chance when he voiced such a statement in Volgograd. There are still many elements of Stalinism in our city and in the minds of local residents,” Elena Sharkova noted.

Political analyst Alexander Vasiliev also suggests that the Sergey Lavrov’s statement is directly related to the upcoming elections. “Mr Lavrov, like other officials, is fighting for the core of the ‘Edinaya Rossiya’ Party’s electorate: they are pensioners plus other categories dependent on the government. Since, quite naturally, for many pensioners survived in those families that were not affected by the repressions, the figure of Joseph Stalin is relatively popular,” Alexander Vasiliev emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 1, 2021 at 12:20 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.