Historians estimate about one million people perished in Stalin’s purges in the 1930s out of around 20 million who died under his three-decade rule before his death in 1953. He said he did not want to “whitewash anyone” but pointed to “links of coup plotters to foreign security agencies”. In their open letter, the Russian scientists expressed fears that the “revision” of the role of the Soviet-era secret police could be intentional and called on the general public to join their protest. The letter said that Bortnikov had failed to denounce the arrest or murder of millions of Soviet people including scientists and senior army commanders. Russia parliament ratifies deal to expand Syria naval facility“The goal of Mr Bortnikov’s wide-ranging interview is not clear to us,” said the letter published on the website of the respected newspaper late Friday.

Source: The Express Tribune December 23, 2017 12:45 UTC