"The Kremlin is moving to eliminate the theme of Soviet repression under Joseph Stalin from the country's museums as part of its latest crackdown on the remnants of free speech. Verstka, an independent investigative publication, reported on 13 April that the exhibitions of the Gulag Museum in Moscow were being packed up and moved away."
"Meanwhile, on 9 April, Russia's supreme court ruled that Memorial, a human rights movement founded to document Stalin-era crimes, is an extremist organisation and banned it-the culmination of a decade of unrelenting pressure since it was designated as a "foreign agent" in 2016. 'Anti-Russian' In its decision, the court characterised Memorial as "anti-Russian," devoted to destroying "historical, cultural, spiritual and moral values"."
"The museum's entire website content was removed in February and replaced with three sentences: "A Museum of Memory is set to open in Moscow. It will be dedicated to the memory of the victims of the genocide against the Soviet people. The exhibition will cover all stages of Nazi war crimes during the Great Patriotic War." A report on the website of Moscow's city government, which oversaw the Gulag Museum, said the new institution would inform visitors about "manifestations of Nazism, the biological experiments conducted by the Japanese on Soviet citizens, and the liberation mission of the Red Army"."
"Within days, the Yeltsin Presidential Center in Yekaterinburg, an exhibition and conference centre known for its liberal interpretation of Russian history, removed mention of Memorial from its walls. Memorial's central office in Moscow was at one time known for its carefully curated shows. The ruling came on the heels of the rebranding of Moscow's Gulag Museum, which exhibited and archived evidence of Stalin-era crimes, to highlight Nazi crimes against the Soviet Union."
The Kremlin is removing themes of Soviet repression under Joseph Stalin from museums as part of a broader crackdown on remnants of free speech. The Gulag Museum in Moscow is being packed up and moved away, and its website was cleared and replaced with brief statements about a new museum focused on Nazi war crimes. Russia’s supreme court banned Memorial, a human rights organization documenting Stalin-era crimes, after describing it as extremist and “anti-Russian.” Memorial’s designation as a “foreign agent” in 2016 preceded years of pressure. After the ban, the Yeltsin Presidential Center removed references to Memorial from its walls, and the Gulag Museum’s rebranding shifted attention toward Nazi atrocities and related wartime narratives.
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