Stalin returns to Moscow – but not to power

Why the notorious Soviet leader still matters in modern Russia

A monument to Joseph Stalin has been unveiled at Taganskaya station in the Moscow Metro. More precisely, the historical high relief that was removed in 1966 during construction work has now been restored, albeit in a simpler version. Some brought carnations to the site in tribute; others brought portraits of modern Russian leaders bearing quotes condemning Stalinism. One group sees the monument as a rightful gesture, the other as a dangerous regression.

In the post-Soviet era, Stalin monuments have been erected in places like Dagestan, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Rostov Region, Bashkiria, and the Stavropol Territory. But in the heart of Moscow? That strikes many as excessive. And yet, if there’s anywhere a monument to Stalin might logically appear, it would be in the Metro. After all, it was a project initiated and overseen by Stalin himself, and it remains one of the most beautiful metro systems in the world. Why not honor him there?

This isn’t the first time Stalin’s name has stirred debate in the Moscow Metro. In 2009, when restorers reinstated a line from the Soviet anthem (“We were raised by Stalin to be loyal to the people”) at Kurskaya station, human rights activists were outraged. The line stayed. The USSR did not return.

Opponents of such symbolic restorations claim they represent a creeping return to the Soviet Union. But let’s ask the obvious: what does Stalin mean to people today?

For some, he is a symbol of raw, constructive power. He is credited with industrializing the USSR, closing its gap with Western Europe. The numbers are compelling: from 1928 to 1937, production of iron, steel, and oil increased by hundreds of percent. Automobile production jumped by 25,000%. The Soviet economy grew at breakneck speed.

There was also cultural development: uplifting cinema, unmatched tank production, victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy, the creation of the atomic bomb, and yes – the Metro. These achievements are inextricably tied to Stalin’s name. Under his rule, there was order, and great things were built. For many, especially among younger, technically educated Russians in their 30s and 40s, this is what matters. Numbers do not lie.

But the story doesn’t end there.

There is also the Stalin of dekulakization, collectivization, and the stripping away of private property. The famine brought on by reckless policies. The countless victims of political repression. The massive losses in the early stages of WWII, despite the USSR having more tanks than the rest of the world combined. The forced industrialization funded by extracting everything from the population – even their religious crosses, exchanged for flour at state-run Torgsin shops. These are also Stalin’s legacy.

Can one be separated from the other? Could industrialization have happened without the gulags and executions? Western European countries modernized without resorting to terror. Why couldn’t the USSR?

These questions provoke endless debate. For every answer, new questions arise.

But perhaps people today aren’t seeking historical accuracy or ideological consistency. What they want is something simple, something that offers closure to the contradictions of the past.

For many, honoring Stalin is not about politics. It’s a form of escapism. A personal hobby. Like collecting Pokémon cards, hiking in the mountains, or raising miniature dogs. You can also bring two carnations to Stalin’s high relief in the Metro and feel, for a moment, that something solid still exists.

Does this mean the Soviet Union is coming back? No. That project, in its full form, is economically and ideologically unsustainable in today’s world. Some elements of state power today may resemble Soviet-style repression, but there is no unifying vision, no positive image of the future, no religious zeal or ideological fire to recreate the USSR.

And that, ultimately, is a good thing. We can revisit the past without being consumed by it.

This article was first published by the online newspaper Gazeta.ru and was translated and edited by the RT team