This piece in the Financial Times sees positive steps in Vladimir Putin’s efforts to talk about Molotov-Ribbentrop, but observes that the current leadership is still very far away from the comfort level of being able to openly debate Joseph Stalin.  The burdens of history wear heavier on few other nations in the world…

Warsaw and Moscow have recently rightly worked hard at improving relations and stopping war disputes from poisoning today’s ties.

That said, Russia is far from opening an honest debate about Stalin. Most Russians accept Stalin committed mistakes and terrible crimes, notably against the Soviet people. But they cannot accept he was a murderous dictator comparable to Hitler. That would be to question the Soviet victory over the Nazis – and with it the huge sacrifices involved, they fear.