Medinsky compared Stalin's and tsarist "repressions"
The NKVD archives concerning the so-called Stalinist repressions have not yet been declassified due to careful consideration of the feelings of descendants who are “embarrassed for the actions of their ancestors.”
Russian Presidential Assistant Vladimir Medinsky stated this on RTVI, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“All archives related to mass repressions have not been declassified. And according to the family lists of people who approved the executions. The reason is that the descendants of those who signed the verdicts are against it. They are afraid, they are embarrassed and ashamed.
At the same time, we are not saying that those who signed the verdicts were monsters and sadists. They worked in the system. Some did it for career reasons, others because they were pigs and didn’t care about people; being an executioner was just a job. And someone sincerely believed that he was fighting enemies.
Moreover, I’ll tell you - who told you that among those who were imprisoned, there were probably robbers, swindlers, and so on. Therefore, this is a very difficult topic.
I’m just giving an example of why sometimes these cases, at the request of relatives, are not made public, not digitized or made publicly available,” he said.
“The official point of view is very simple - it was an absolute, inhuman, senseless and villainous crime that cannot and cannot be forgiven,” added the Putin aide.
At the same time, in his opinion, it is incorrect to judge Russian monarchs for executions or other cruel acts, because at that time there was a “different ethics”, and the actions of the tsar/emperor were considered legitimate.
“Within the framework of the royal ethics of that time, he (Ivan the Terrible - approx.) was accountable only to God, and did not obey earthly laws. At least that's what he thought. And the legal system of that time believed so too.
Therefore, during the time of Ivan the Terrible there were no special popular protests. Not only out of fear, but because it is the monarch’s will, the king executes and pardons. The word “lawlessness” was not heard,” Medinsky summed up.
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