Stalin buses could hit streets for Victory Day

Despite all evidence of countless crimes against humanity committed by Joseph Stalin, some still see him as one of the greatest leaders in history. As Victory Day nears, portraits of Stalin are to appear on buses in 40 cities of Russia and the CIS.

­Those behind the move plan to pay for advertising spots on buses and stick Stalin’s image on them, although the project is still short of some $5,000.

Author of the Victory Bus initiative, Viktor Loginov announced Thursday that the move met with the most interest this year, having attracted many more cities willing to participate. Similar projects were already held in various Russian cities in 2010 and 2011.

This year, activists in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Kursk and dozens of other towns have said they will join the project. In the CIS, groups in Kiev, Tallinn, Minsk and Riga supported the idea.

The organizers say the idea is to prevent falsification of history, and to pay tribute to the heroes who fought in World War II under Stalin’s command.

All over the CIS, however, many are vehemently against the idea. Last year, Moscow authorities condemned the action, and hope to prevent it this time. Riga and Tallinn authorities have also declared their intention to make sure there are no Stalin buses in their cities.