Russian memory of Stalin... how you say? Not so good.

Russians Observe Stalin's 126th Birthday.

MOSCOW - Residents of a southern Russian town unveiled a statue Wednesday to Josef Stalin, as Communists and others marked the 126th anniversary of the late Soviet dictator's birth.

More three dozen residents of Digora, in the Caucasus region of North Ossetia, laid carnations at the gold bust topping a granite obelisk, while children in Soviet-style red kerchiefs saluted.

"Under Stalin, every year we waited for improvements and every year there were improvements. It's a fact," sculptor Mikhail Dzboyev said in televised comments.

In Moscow's Red Square, several dozen people carrying red flags bearing the face of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin braved wintry weather to visit Stalin's grave.

In the Georgian town of Gori, where Stalin was born, people gathered to toast the Soviet leader.

A growing number of Russian towns in recent years have considered erecting monuments to Stalin, a controversial issue for many Russians who say the dictator was responsible for the deaths of millions of his own people.

Others revere him for the Soviet Union's rapid industrialization and his leadership against Nazi Germany during World War II.

Oh! My beloved Russian friends... how quickly you have forgotten!

Posted by Kyer at December 21, 2005 08:17 PM | TrackBack