Russian historian slams Putin

Russian history professor Andrej Zubov, who was dismissed from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations over his criticism of Russia's Crimea policy last year, has told the Czech News Agency that he considers teaching history to the Russian youth to be his major task.

“If youth turns to the value of human freedom and dignity, this will bring a free future to Russia. But if the youth opts for what Putin's propaganda offers, this will entail terrible territorial problems that will be dangerous to the whole world,” Zubov said.

 “The struggle for youth is the struggle for our future,” said Zubov who arrived in Prague on the occasion of the publication of the second volume of The History of Russia, XX Century.

He led the team of the book's 45 authors, who are not mentioned by name out of fear of the current regime in Russia.

Zubov now works for the Novaya gazeta Internet paper and gives lectures across Russia and Europe.

Zubov told ČTK that Russia has got rid of communism in its worst form. “But it is not full liberation because the legacy of the Soviet Union is returning in a way. The History of Russia, XX Century should remind the Russians of what they were liberated from so that they never want to return to it,” Zubov said.

He said if he wrote a similar book during the period of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, he would definitely be executed. During the term of Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev, he would be sent to prison and banished to Siberia.

 “True, everything is progressing, but our task is to make the better even better,” Zubov said.

Some supporters of President Vladimir Putin warn of that chaos and lawlessness could follow his possible fall.

“When Stalin died, people were weeping and they could not imagine the world without him. But what happened? The Korean War ended, people started to be released from gulags, but the world did not collapse. When the Soviet Union disintegrated, it was not easy, particularly economically, but life became freer. It is nonsense to believe that all others will die with the departure of the leader,” Zubov said.