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Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- President Dmitry Medvedev called on Russians to remember the political terror under Soviet leader Josef Stalin, distancing himself from the historical ambivalence of his mentor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
?I?m convinced that the memory of national tragedies is no less sacred than the memory of victories,? Medvedev said in a video blog posted on his Web site today. No state goals can justify the ?great terror? seven decades ago, he said. More than 12 million Soviet citizens died in Stalin?s excesses, according to human rights group Memorial.
Oct. 30 is a day of remembrance of the victims of political repression in Russia. While Putin also observed the day during his two terms as president, Stalin at the same time experienced a revival as a strong leader who defeated Nazi Germany and turned a backward agrarian country into a nuclear superpower.