Windows to Russia

Icon and Stalin

Hello,

One of our readers named MattMacL brought my attention to an interesting subject in Russia that is happening at a time when anti Stalin sentiments are running rather high in the old Soviet areas.

An interview of Father Yevstafiy can be found at the Georgia Daily by Paul Goble of Window on Eurasia. (Link)

His superiors in the Russian Orthodox Church denounced this action as “inappropriate.” And story after story on Russian television (www.islamnews.ru/video-view-184.html), the print media (www.newizv.ru/news/2008-11-26/102216/) and the Russian blogosphere (www.mk.ru/blogs/MK/2008/11/27/society/383332/) played up the debate.

In comments to “Novyye izvestiya,” Father Yevstafiy stood his ground. “The feeling that Stalin is the father of the peoples, that he is thus in part my high father has never left me in the course of my life. I thus have two fathers, besides the Heavenly Father: one is my father in the flesh and the other is the father of the peoples who was strict” and may “have made mistakes.”

Any attacks on him are wrong and inappropriate the dissident priest continued, and he said that he “remembers Iosif Vissarionovich in all services where this is appropriate, especially on those days when he died, was born and when he celebrated the common Victory of our people.” And he insisted that Stalin was “a believer.”

But at the same time, Yevstafiy was careful to specify that “this is not an icon glorifying Stalin. This is an image of. Matrona of Moscow. And Iosif Vissarionovich is one of those people whom she blessed. She blessed many people,” the priest said, including “a well-known architect and a well- known composer of those times. And Stalin too.”

Now we are not really here to debate the good and or bad about Stalin. I am finding out that this is getting to be a heated argument around this part of the world.

I have no right to say much myself because American history painted a whitewashed picture of the Soviet Union during the WWII times, America needed the help of the Soviet Union and slam dunking Stalin was not the way to get help. The history books held a mild opinion of him for many years. Even with a minor in History the class that I took in collage on WWII hardly touched the subject of Stalin.

My wife has said nothing about her feelings of the Stalin era nor about her Mothers feelings of that era.

So if anyone has more information then please present it!

Kyle & Svet

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in Venezuela on a first visit in more than 150 years of relations. Opening the Russian-Venezuelan talks, Medvedev announced that he considered Latin American countries to be Russia’s friends enjoying “privileged relations.”

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.Russian shares were rising steadily at the opening today. Around 10:45 a.m. on MICEX, Gazprom and Rosneft climbed 4.5 percent each, and LUKoil gained 3.8 percent. The MICEX index was up 3 percent at 607 points. On the RTS, LUKoil increased 1.6 percent. Federal Grid Company was among the best performers on both trading floors, having soared 12 percent on MICEX and 21 percent on the RTS.

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.Russia and Venezuela have agreed to use national currencies – rubles and bolivares – in bilateral trade and even discussed the possibility of creating reserves in national currencies, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was cited by the Mayak radio station as saying after talks with his Venezuelan counterpart in the country’s capital Caracas today. The Russian leader also noted that Russian-Venezuelan cooperation was not directed against other countries. He also pointed out that Russia might join the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the international organization aiming for integration between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Russia is ready to discuss membership in the ALBA, probably as an associate member or in some other status, if it is good for Latin American countries and consistent with the idea of a multipolar world.

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.Most Russians (72 percent) approve of President Dmitry Medvedev’s initiative to increase the controlling powers of the State Duma, obliging the government to report to it on an annual basis, a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center showed. Roughly two thirds of Russians (68 percent) welcome the president’s suggestion on legislation ensuring media coverage of the State Duma parties’ work. Similarly, 62 percent of Russians approve of the initiative entitling local legislatures to remove mayors from office. However, a mere 30 percent of Russians approve of the move reducing the number of signatures required by parties to take part in State Duma elections.

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.At the close of today’s special dollar trading session for tomorrow deals, the U.S. currency’s exchange rate rose RUB 0.05 to 27.41 RUB/USD. Thanksgiving Day celebrated in the United States today calmed down speculative moods on the Russian market, where commercial bank activity was low today. The trade volume stood at USD 3bn as of 1 p.m. The stabilization of oil prices at USD 50 per barrel and the 6-percent rise on the stock market eased negative expectations of the ruble’s fall, experts point out.

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.The Bank of Russia has deposited roughly RUB 1.2 trillion (approx. USD 43.9bn) with commercial banks, Deputy PM and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told a briefing following today’s cabinet meeting. He noted that the Central Bank had increased the maximum amount of uncommitted funds it could deposit to RUB 3.5 trillion (approx. USD 127.9bn). The minister also reiterated that the maximum amount that the Finance Ministry could place had been reduced from RUB 1.5 trillion (approx. USD 54.8bn) to RUB 400bn (approx. USD 14.6bn), “as the Central Bank has taken on the main part of the burden.”