Russia approached the Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression on October 30, amid a troubling landscape marked by a mix of solemn commemorations and unsettling governmental shifts.
On October 30, St. Petersburg and numerous towns across Russia -- including regions in Siberia and the Far East where a major part of the Soviet Gulag system was once located -- actively participated in the memorial event known as the Returning the Names on October 30. However, recent actions by the state raise significant concerns about the future of historical accountability for Soviet-era atrocities.
Since 2006, the Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has held a poignant ceremony every year at the Solovetsky Kamen (Solovki Stone) memorial on Moscow's Lubyanka Square, a site steeped in history as it was once the headquarters of the Soviet KGB and is now home to the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The stone is named after the Solovetsky (Solovki) Islands, an archipelago located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea, where one of the first forced labor camps was established in 1923.
The Solovki camp became a notorious site for political prisoners, many of whom were executed or perished due to harsh conditions.
At the Solovki Stone Memorial in Moscow, participants -- including relatives of the dead and survivors of the Gulag, rights activists, and concerned citizens -- have gathered each year to read aloud the names, ages, occupations, and execution or imprisonment dates of the victims.
It is estimated that at least one million Soviet citizens were executed by Stalin’s regime during the Great Terror of 1937-1938. This ritual serves as a powerful act of remembrance and a stark reminder of the regime's brutality.
In St. Petersburg, participants of the Returning the Names action laid flowers at the Solovki Stone, a memorial similar to the one in Moscow, and read aloud the names of those who suffered under the regime. Diplomatic representatives from several Western countries attended the event, signaling broader international solidarity with victims of political repression.
In cities like Abakan, Nizhnevartovsk, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, and others, local activists organized similar commemorations, demonstrating a grassroots commitment to preserving the memory of the repressed.
However, this spirit of remembrance is overshadowed by recent decisions from the Russian government that seem to undermine these efforts.
Notably, the Prosecutor-General's Office announced plans earlier to review past decisions on the rehabilitation of repression victims, prompting fears that the state may seek to rewrite or diminish the historical narrative surrounding Soviet atrocities. This move raises questions about the integrity of memorialization efforts and the potential for erasure of the painful legacy of political repression.
In June, further evidence of a shift in official policy emerged when Russian authorities announced changes to the official Concept on Victims of Political Repressions.
These alterations eliminated references to the mass nature of Soviet purges and removed calls to commemorate their victims, effectively sanitizing the historical account of state-sponsored violence.
Such revisions not only reflect a disconnection from the painful past but also signal a broader attempt to reshape public memory in a way that aligns with current political agendas.
The decision to cancel the 2024 Returning the Names event in Moscow, ostensibly due to a "sharp increase in COVID cases," has been interpreted by many activists as a deliberate effort to suppress discussions surrounding Soviet crimes.
The cancellation of this event exemplifies the tensions between state narratives and collective memory. Activists view this as a significant step backward in the ongoing struggle for historical justice and transparency.
While commemorative actions continue in some Russian cities, the shadow of governmental repression looms large. The voices of those remembering the repressed stand in stark contrast to the state’s efforts to revise history and restrict public discourse.
As citizens across Russia gather to honor the memories of the fallen and those who survived Soviet repression, they face a complex and often hostile environment that complicates their efforts.