Stalingrad as fiction of 'victory'

Putin is traveling to Volgograd to return the city to its old name, at least for a few days of the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad. The name, which is based on the name of a dictator, is disgusting and idiosyncratic not only to those who lived through the darkness of Stalin's terror and their descendants. Stalinism is a synonym for a political practice that is unacceptable in the world politics of the 21st  century, and the personification of the most refined evil.

Condemned by his fellow party members from the rostrum of the XX Congress, he became the curse of a whole layer of Russian history, and thus, during the Brezhnev's era, he was shyly silenced, just as families do not want to talk about freaks. During Gorbachev's perestroika (restructuring), society (including those who experienced Stalinism firsthand) was horrified by the scale of crimes and terror, by the price paid by the peoples of the USSR (including Russians) for the 'great victory', 'collectivization', and 'industrialization'... In short, for all the 'victories' of 'Uncle Joe', the incomplete seminarian and Bolshevik bandit Dzhugashvili.

“A farewell without repentance is not worth a dime. This should have been realized back in 1986, when in Soviet cinemas the audience froze in front of the screens at Tengiz Abuladze's Repentance.”

It would seem that back then, during the years of glasnost (openness) and afterward, Russia had said goodbye to Stalinism forever. But farewell without repentance is not worth a dime. This should have been realized back in 1986, when the audience in Soviet cinemas froze in front of the screens at Tengiz Abuladze's Repentance. And they should have answered the rhetorical question (or rather, the exclamation point) in the most famous dialog:

- Does this road lead to the temple?

- This is Varlam Street (Abuladze's hero, whose prototype was Stalin - Author). This is not the street that leads to the temple.

- Then what is it for? What is a road for if it does not lead to the temple?

The answer still hangs in the air in Russia. Because, in principle, the people do not care. Because the people deliberately handed over power to the direct heir of Stalin's NKVD-OGPU-MGB-KGB punishers, allowing this criminal quadriga to do whatever it pleases.

The war against Ukraine is not a road to the temple, as Moscow propaganda is trying to make it out to be, shouting to the whole world about “protecting Russian speakers,” “one nation,” and “denazification of brothers.” The war in Ukraine is a continuation of Stalin's policy of genocide against Ukrainians, because the Holodomor was not enough for Satrap. He did not even have enough freighters to transport all Galicians to Siberia after the 'reunification' of 1939 (in fact, a conspiracy with Hitler).

“The war in Ukraine is a continuation of Stalin's policy of genocide against Ukrainians, because the Holodomor was not enough for Satrap. He did not even have enough freighters to transport all Galicians to Siberia after the 'reunification' of 1939 (in fact, a conspiracy with Hitler).”

And now, when Putin is mired in military failures in this shameful 'special operation', when the international community has managed to consolidate to properly repel neo-Stalinism and is already thinking not only about how to help Ukraine, but also how to punish war criminals, the bunker old man is again digging up the rotten corpse of 'Varlam' and trying to sell his old 'victory' as his own. Well, if changing road signs and a bust of a ghoul is a victory, then so be it... In any case, Putin's satellite, 'tik-tok general' Kadyrov, will have a backdrop for his next video.

“The slogan "We can repeat it!" is the ideology of the war against Ukraine, a summary of all Putin's long 'historical speeches' and the many years of efforts of Russian propagandists.”

Putin has experience. In fact, 'pobedobesie' under his rule has become Russia's state doctrine, an effective camouflage of the real state of affairs in the country and an instrument of international politics. The slogan "We can repeat it!" is the ideology of the war against Ukraine, a summary of all Putin's long 'historical speeches' and the many years of efforts of Russian propagandists. The 'anti-fascist' veneer of Putinist Stalinism was aptly dispelled by Timothy Snyder, who stated that “calling others fascists when you are fascists is a basic Putin practice. I call it 'schizo fascism'. Ukrainians have the most elegant formulation. They call it 'rushism'.

...So Putin is going to Volgograd. He will be returning from Stalingrad. Traveling to the past is always dangerous. At least because they look like a farce.

P.S. And about the price of Stalingrad. In the Battle of the Volga, the German army lost 1.5 million men, 3,000 tanks, 12,000 guns and mortars, and 4.400 aircraft. The losses of the Red Army amounted to 1 million 130 thousand people, 4,300 tanks, 15,700 guns and mortars, and 2,800 aircraft. 

About the author. Ihor Hulyk, journalist, Editor-in-Chief of the Espreso.West website. 

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.