Thirty-five percent of Russians surveyed said they believe that Stalin’s leadership during World War ii outweighed any “mistakes” he may have made. Hundreds of admirers lined up to lay wreaths on his grave in Moscow’s Red Square on Monday, to honor the 130th anniversary of his birth. In Russia, Stalin is still a national hero.

This is largely because of efforts by the Kremlin to rehabilitate the mass murderer’s reputation. Despite his responsibility for the death of an estimated 20 million people, a handbook for Russian history teachers instructs them to focus on Stalin’s abilities as “an effective manager,” and states that he acted “entirely rationally.”

Stalin’s grandson is using the Russian legal system to sue news outlets that speak evil of his ancestor. One case was thrown out earlier this year, but now he is attempting to sue a radio station for saying “Stalin signed an order that children can be shot from the age of 12 as enemies of the nation,” among other things.

“The political resurrection of Stalin’s legacy has coincided with the rise of Vladimir Putin during the past decade,” reports Radio Free Europe. “Many critics say the Kremlin has purposely burnished Stalin’s legacy to feed public enthusiasm for a new generation of strong leaders.”

Fifty-four percent of those surveyed said they have a high opinion of Stalin’s leadership qualities, according to state-run polling agency VTsIOM. In the survey, released December 18, only 23 percent said Stalin’s personal character traits were below average.

Last year, Rossiya TV organized a poll for online voters to choose the greatest Russian in history. Reportedly, Stalin was leading until the organizers claimed the poll had been sabotaged by a spam campaign and threw out all the votes and began counting afresh. Nevertheless, Stalin still came third in the contest, losing to Alexander Nevsky. Many Russians believed that the organizers rigged the poll because a victory for Stalin would have caused international embarrassment.

According to The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression, communism in the ussr was responsible for the deaths of 20 million people. Globally, it killed around 100 million. Rewriting this kind of history is profoundly dangerous. Bible prophecy tells us that the results of this authoritarian revival in Russia and elsewhere will kill far, far more. For more information on Russia’s turn toward a Stalin-type dictatorship, see our article “Embracing Authoritarianism.”