Soviet dictator Josef Stalin remains one of Russia's most popular historical figures despite the purges that marked his rule, according to latest results in a nationwide poll.
The Georgian-born Stalin is in third place in the poll of most popular Russians, which was run by the Rossiya state television channel and which closed last night with a final vote.
Millions of Soviet citizens perished from famine during forced collectivisation, were executed as "enemies of the people" or died in Gulag hard labour camps during Stalin's rule, which lasted for almost 30 years until his death in 1953. But he still won an 11.5 per cent share of the voting so far.
The 12 finalists were so far led by 13th century prince Alexander Nevsky, who defeated German invaders, with 11.7 per cent. He is followed by Pyotr Stolypin, a prime minister in the early 20th century known for agrarian reforms and a clampdown on leftist revolutionaries, with 11.6 per cent. The project was launched with a list of 50 historical figures and closed with the final vote broadcast live yesterday.
Whatever the final result, human rights activists and communists say the vote has shown that Stalin enjoys unprecedented popularity in capitalist Russia.
"The younger generation is fed with myths about Stalin. It knows nothing about the millions who died in Gulag camps, but well knows he was a strong leader who defeated Germany," human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov said. He added that a whiff of Stalinism has been felt in Russia's harsh tone with the West, which has accused Moscow of backtracking on democratic reforms and keeping a tight lid on dissent.
"Again, foreign enemies are to blame for all internal problems, so you need to rule with an iron fist - it's a purely Stalinist method."
Stalin's nostalgic supporters like to repeat that he defeated Nazi Germany, industrialised the Soviet Union and achieved total literacy across a backward peasant nation.
"Of course, there were also dark pages . . . but in general he is remembered mostly as a great leader," said Viktor Ilyukhin, a leading member of the Communist party. "We have been living under capitalism for 20 years now and so what? . . . Our voice is weak both in economics and politics, and key decisions are sometimes taken without us."