Putin has ordered the opening of a museum in Mariupol dedicated to a Stalin ally known for persecuting poets and writers (photos included).

Russian authorities believe that the museum dedicated to Andrei Zhdanova will "preserve historical memory." Zhdanova, a close associate of dictator Joseph Stalin, played an active role in the repressions and signed 176 "execution lists."

https://focus.ua/ukraine/693968-muzey-andreya-zhdanova-v-mariupole-putin-poruchil-otkryt-muzey-soratnika-stalina-poslednie-novosti2025-02-18 07:57:13

By order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a museum dedicated to Andrei Zhdanov, an associate of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, has been opened in the occupied city of Mariupol. This was reported via Telegram by the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, Boris Piotrovsky.

Zhdanov repressed and killed thousands of people. Now, the museum dedicated to Stalin's "right hand" in the occupied city is expected to serve as a "preservation of historical memory," according to the official.

"This is a long-awaited and, without a doubt, one of the landmark events in the year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. The museum's exhibition is the result of significant collaborative work by scholars, local historians, and historians from St. Petersburg and Mariupol," Piotrovsky wrote.

The museum's exhibition was prepared by local historians and scholars from St. Petersburg and Mariupol. It focuses on various historical periods of Russia, including the revolution, World War II, and the post-war era.

What is known about Joseph Stalin's "right hand"?

Andrei Zhdanov was born in Mariupol in 1896, and from 1948 to 1989, the city was named in his honor. Zhdanov was an active participant in Stalin's repressions and signed 176 "execution lists." He is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people across different regions of the USSR.

After the war, Zhdanov focused on suppressing the creative intelligentsia. Notably, writers and poets such as Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Mikhail Kuzmin, Andrei Bely, Zinaida Gippius, and Fyodor Sologub were labeled as "representatives of reactionary obscurantism and renegacy."

The Russian Ministry of Defense previously started publishing the special magazine "Politruk", which reflects memories of the USSR and Stalin's ideas.

It is worth noting that, according to the Times, Putin aims to become the oldest head of the Kremlin in the entire history of Russia. If he remains in the presidential seat until October 2028, he will be 76 years old.