Stalin Memorial Unveiled in Siberia

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On Wednesday, a KPRF official said that a bust of Soviet leader Iosif Stalin was unveiled in the northeast Siberian city of Yakutsk. The 2.5-metre (8.2-foot)-tall bronze bust was unveiled on the grounds of the Almazi Anabara private diamond company on the eve of nationwide celebrations to mark the capitulation of Nazi Germany in Europe in 1945. As of Wednesday afternoon, a company spokesman wasn’t available for comment. The company offered to host the bust after local authorities denied the communists permission to erect it on a square in the city.

Stalin, whose prison camps and security services took the lives of millions of Soviet citizens during his almost-30-year reign, remains a popular figure with many Russians. Critics accused President Vladimir Putin of attempting to bolster Stalin’s reputation. In recent years, school history books now describe Stalin as an “effective manager”, and the city of Volgograd temporarily reverts to its World War II-era name of Stalingrad for several days a year to mark celebrations linked to crucial events in the war.

A survey by state pollster VTsIOM last year indicated that 33 percent of Russians viewed Stalin positively, whilst 25 percent disapproved of him. The poll surveyed 1,600 respondents. Historians estimate the total number of victims of Stalin-era political repressions at anywhere between 3 million and 39 million. According to historians, tens of thousands, at the very minimum, of GULag inmates perished in the building of the “Road of Bones” that connects the port of Magadan to Yakutsk. Their bodies were laid under or around the road, which was constructed on permafrost.

8 May 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130508/181039239/Stalin-Bust-Unveiled-in-Siberia.html

 

Easter Greetings from Comrade Zyuganov to All National-Patriotic Forces: “I believe that truth and goodness will prevail in our lives”

THIS was the image on the official KPRF website… let those with eyes see. There is none so blind as he who wills not to see…

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In these spring days, when Holy Easter, Bright Week, and Victory Day coincide, we’re together again, in unison (соборно); our hearts beat collectively with the love of friends and family. We love those near to us, because He who “trampled down death by death” laid down His life for us. This made all people on Earth kinder, better, and more worthy. The convergence of these two greatest people’s festivals refills our hope for the future transformation of our lives.

My greetings this year begin with the bright feast of Christ‘s Resurrection. I wish that all of you enjoy these happy days, and that your mind and soul embrace the great ideals that guided our people throughout the ages. I believe that Truth, Light, and Justice will prevail, that truth and goodness will prevail in our lives, and that lies and evil will depart from us. At the same time, during the joyous days of spring, almost seven decades ago, in May 1945, millions of our ancestors laid their lives on the altar of Victory, to free the world from fascist scum. They won the upper hand in the battle of the Forces of Light against the Forces of Darkness.

Yes, today’s world is full of injustice. Ordeals bedevil us; wars and natural disasters overwhelm people. The global oligarchy spreads amorality and misanthropy; their destructive values exacerbate human suffering. Unfortunately, not only careless foreigners, but our fellow Russians also forget, charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6.17). They surrender to reckless money-grubbing aspirations, but such won’t buy them happiness. Those in power ignore the basic moral code; they plunge the country and people into a vortex of suffering and unrest. It looks as though they’re unaware of the biblical warning that God will render to every man according to his deeds (Romans 2.6). Therefore, let’s work hard for a just future; let’s remember our ancestors’ warnings about the futility and dangers of a life based on the passion for profit. Let’s not forget for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. (1 Timothy 6.7-8).

This year, the heavenly bodies, the very calendar, made it so that these days converged… both the Resurrection of Christ and the Victory Day… so that we’ll go to pay our respects at the graves of loved ones, to the mass graves of our soldiers, and to our national shrines. Our ancestors made all the right choices. We should make the right choices as well… we should manifest a renewed loyalty to Red Easter and to the Red Banner of Victory. These happy days fill us with love for our forebears’ traditions; we strongly believe in the triumph of eternal values, the victory of imperishable ideals, and we hope for the triumph of Truth, Goodness, and Justice. Let it be so forever!

Christ is Risen!

4 May 2013

Gennady Zyuganov

Chairman of the Central Committee of the RF Communist Party (KPRF)

Head of the Communist Party faction in the RF Gosduma

Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

KPRF official website

http://kprf.ru/activity/culture/118198.html

Report Claims KPRF Won 2011 Election

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On Wednesday, the announcement of a report casting fresh doubt on the results of the 2011 Russian parliamentary election drew a dismissive response from the pro-Kremlin ruling party and the country’s top election official, whilst also causing a flurry of speculation about motives, as the study reportedly emerged from a think-tank headed by an official close to President Vladimir Putin. Stepan Sulakshin, the author of the Moscow-based Governance and Problem Analysis Centre’s report, told the newspaper RBK Daily in comments published late on Tuesday, “The officially-announced results are inaccurate. United Russia didn’t take first place; the KPRF took first place”. Sulakshin said the United Russia party gained 20-25 percent of the vote at the 2011 election for the RF Gosduma, compared to the official figure of 49 percent, whilst the KPRF gained 25-30 percent, significantly more than the 19 percent announced by election officials.

On Wednesday, we couldn’t reach Sulakshin for comment. A spokesman at the think-tank, where is he’s director, said that he was “on a business trip”, and no one else at the centre could comment on the report, which wasn’t released to the public. The newspaper Kommersant said that the report came out of a seminar that took place in the fall of 2012, and that “mathematical” methods grounded its findings. Widespread allegations of vote fraud in favour of then-Prime Minister Putin’s United Russia party at the 4 December 2011 parliamentary election triggered the largest anti-government demonstrations since the fall of the USSR.

Unlikely Critic

The think-tank responsible for the potentially-explosive report is run by an unlikely government critic, Russian Railways chief Vladimir Yakunin, an alleged former KGB officer widely-seen as a member of Putin’s inner circle. However, a source within Russian Railways told RIA-Novosti on Wednesday that Yakunin wasn’t involved in the drawing-up of the report. The source was unable to say why the news of the report was only made public more than a year after the elections, but denied that it was part of a rumoured Kremlin plan to call snap parliamentary polls.

Earlier this year, the respected Russian newspaper Kommersant said, citing United Russia sources, that the Kremlin could disband parliament… hit by a number of alleged corruption scandals involving lawmakers in recent months… in a bid to save Putin’s declining ratings. Putin stepped down as head of United Russia last May, when he handed over stewardship of the party to Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. However, commentators suggest he remains closely linked in the eyes of the public to the party, which opposition figurehead Aleksei Navalny successfully branded “the party of crooks and thieves”. An opinion survey released earlier this week by the IA Rex pollster found that that in a survey of 396 political analysts, 22.5 percent believed in the likelihood of early elections to the RF Gosduma, whilst a similar proportion didn’t rule out the scenario.

On Wednesday, other political analysts suggested that the report was a bid to differentiate Putin from United Russia in the eyes of the electorate. Respected political analyst Yevgeni Minchenko told Kommersant, “There are a group of zealous guys in that centre who believe it’s necessary to distance Putin from United Russia… to deflect everything negative onto the party”. Lilia Shibanova, head of the independent election watchdog Golos {Golos is a suspect pro-American group that’s taken USAID money: editor}, speculated the report could be part of what she dubbed “Kremlin games” that could see the creation of a new pro-Kremlin party to replace the increasingly-discredited United Russia.

Political Reaction

Konstantin Mazurevsky, a senior United Russia official, told RIA-Novosti, “The data in the report was plucked from thin air. They don’t match the analytical data. Enough other elections were held since then, including regional ones, whose results answered any questions and disprove the report”. The head of the Central Elections Commission, Vladimir Churov… dubbed “the wizard” by opposition figures after the 2011 polls over allegations he had conjured up an unlikely victory for United Russia… also hit out at the report, suggesting that its author seek psychiatric assistance. Churov, an unabashed Kremlin loyalist, frequently said, “Churov’s first law is… Putin’s always right”.

Surprisingly, KPRF reaction was muted. There was no reaction from veteran party head, Gennady Zyuganov. Calls to the party’s press office went unanswered as of late Wednesday afternoon. Vadim Solovyov, the KPRF’s top lawyer, told journalists that the party estimated it took around 30 percent of the vote at the 2011 polls. He said the party didn’t contest the results in court because it didn’t believe its appeal would get a fair hearing. The Kremlin didn’t officially comment on the news of the report, but an administration source told RIA-Novosti that anyone dissatisfied with the election results should file complaints with the courts, and “not write reports”. Shibanova, the head of Golos, noted, “Frequently, the courts simply rejected complaints about the December 2011 election”.

Putin’s Victory “Legitimate”

The report apparently also examined Putin’s victory in the presidential election last March, which saw him return to the Kremlin for a controversial third term after a four-year hiatus as prime minister. Sulakshin told RBK, “Putin, unlike United Russia, is legitimate. Fifty-two percent voted for him… zealous officials handed him another 13 percent”. Putin took 63.6 percent of the vote at last year’s polls, but Sulakshin didn’t explain the mathematical discrepancy, adding, “Putin needed an honest victory, so, he gave the order to carry out honest elections”. Anything over 50 percent of the vote at the March 2012 elections would’ve been enough to hand Putin victory in the first round.

14 March 2013

Marc Bennetts

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/politics/20130314/180000297/Report-Claims-Russias-Communist-Party-Won-2011-Polls——–.html

6 January 2013. Christmas Appeal of KPRF Chairman G A Zyuganov

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Dear compatriots, friends, comrades!

In these days filled with bright joy and hope, I want to appeal to all those who cherish the ideals of goodness and justice, of equity and compassion. This celebration, symbolising the harmony of all life on Earth, brings forth the highest aspirations of humanity; we come closer to each other, ignoring the distances between us, ignoring all boundaries and differences. After all, Christmas Eve gives us another opportunity to think about our lives and affairs in the face of eternal truths and aspirations.

As it was two thousand years ago, in this holiday season, we turn our hearts and thoughts to those who are dearest to us… our parents, our children, our families. Christmas is a family holiday. The family is the sheet-anchor of society… its spiritual power and its blood integrate the past and the future, in birth and continuity, in hope and joy. Our Motherland is one large family, and its troubles and the destruction of its means have led to bitterness, greed, cruelty, and cold insensitivity.

On this radiant and joyous folk holiday, I wish that all the dreams of our children, from infants through youth, find fulfilment, that all women experience the joy of motherhood, and I hope that all men would be defenders of the Motherland and their homes. According to our traditional precepts, we urge everyone to do whatever that they can for our children, to share with the broken and disadvantaged, to protect the weak and the wronged, to rebel against injustice and malice.

This is the main spiritual prop of society. We should work for a change for the better every single day. Then, our orphans would find a family and comfort in their own Motherland, the robbed and deceived would find the restoration of justice and a warm home, those aspiring to knowledge would find access to education and science, and all of us together would find pride and joy in the revival of the Motherland. Our guiding principle has always been the belief that life can and must change for the better, that we can usher in a new era, an era of mercy, justice, and spirituality. We communists have always worked hard to achieve this, and we shall continue to work hard to achieve this. I hope that all of you have great joy, good health, and the fulfilment of your aspirations!

To the Nativity of Christ!

6 January 2013

Gennady Zyuganov

Head of the KPRF faction in the RF Gosduma

Chairman of the Central Committee of the KPRF

Kprf.ru

Official Website KPRF

http://kprf.ru/rusk/114156.html

 

16 December 2012. A Picture IS Worth a Thousand Words… “For-Fee Schools… The Shame of Russia”

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This is a KPRF-led student demonstration against tuition and school fees. Let’s keep it simple… at present, the only criterion for getting into many universities and institutes (VUZs) is ability to learn, NOT ability to pay. Of course, there are those who use blat to get in, but they’d thrive in a for-pay scheme as well… perhaps, they’d do even better, sadly enough. The Western style of paying for one’s education out of one’s own pocket is a blatant attempt to keep the better venues of education solely for the Affluent Effluent (or for those judged sufficiently pliable and “thankful”). There’s no need of that in Russia. However, I think that the corner’s been turned, and Russians are sceptical of anything Western. In any case, the Church is more at ease with a Soviet-style state educational system than with an oligarch-run private educational corporation. You see, most commies are believers; most moneygrubbing zapadniki aren’t… that’s a no-brainer for the Church. Keep education open for all… that’s fair in the social sense and god-pleasing in the religious sense. As for Russian analogues of English “public schools”… the less said, the better…

BMD

30 October 2012. A Picture IS Worth a Thousand Words… the 94th Anniversary of the Komsomol

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The above shows Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of the KPRF, handing out awards to Komsomoltsy and Pioneers. It’s the 94th anniversary of the Komsomol… the Young Communist League. Orthodox Christians shouldn’t forget how the Komsomoltsy fought the American-financed Uniates and schismatics in the Ukraine in the 90s and 00s… the Komsomoltsy defended the real churches from Uniate and schismatic desecration, and they protected the real clergy. As a correspondent wrote me:

They were real muscle men! But they showed respect to the bishop and never failed to ask his blessing.

God bless the Komsomoltsy… due to their bravery, we have a canonical Church in the Ukraine today. Where were Potapov and Lebedeff? They were busy calling the canonical Church “Sergianists”… fancy that. If I were the Centre, I’d trust neither one of these gents (although one can deal with them, as long as you bear in mind their pasts)…

BMD