On the eve of the 70th anniversary of Josef Stalin's death, attitudes to the Soviet Union's wartime leader remain mixed in the nations he once ruled with an iron fist.
Though public commemorations remain largely taboo and streets no longer bear his name, his reputation has in recent years undergone something of a renaissance.
"Why should I have a bad attitude towards him?" said Moscow resident Andrei, 31, praising Stalin as a strong unifying personality whose war victory should be lauded. Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the Kremlin - which says it is fighting Ukrainian "Neo-Nazis" - has sought to claim Stalin's wartime mantle, portraying its campaign as putting an end to unfinished business from World War Two.- which was briefly renamed Stalingrad - to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the battle that was a turning point in the war.
"The majority in Gori value Stalin, of course. As a historical figure, as a great man and a person who ruled with an iron fist," said resident Jakob Kikriashvili, 48.Born Ioseb Dzhugashvili to a humble family in 1878, the young Stalin spent his childhood in Gori, before studying in the nearby Georgian capital Tbilisi. Today, Gori's Stalin museum, located on the town's Stalin Avenue, is the town's most famous tourist attraction, drawing visitors from across the world.
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