Russian Pres says no revival of Stalinism in Russian society.

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Itar-Tass) - There is no revival of Stalinism in
Russian society, President Dmitry Medvedev said here Tuesday as he visited
the Washington studios of the Russia Today TV channel.
"One can hear the voices claiming that Stalinism is witnessing
renaissance in Russia but I think that's an overexaggeration," he said in
an interview with the channel's editor-in-chief, Ma
,garita Simonian.
"There's no change in the way society assesses that period of history,
and that's why such claims are but overstatements," Medvedev said.
"People of a different type are holding the helm of power in Russia
today and the current values and notions about the state differ largely."
Medvedev is certain that Stalin's own and his closest associates'
activity will always remain a subject of disputes because "personalities
of this type will always cause a variety of reactions."
"To a far bigger degree, this is a question of personal perceptions,"
Medvedev said. "Signs and notions may change of course but this doesn't
mean that what has been black will become white and vice versa."
He mentioned the events in Katyn, among other things.
"If you speak about Stalin and the the closest associates around him,
they committed a crime against their own nation and, in a certain sense,
against history," Medvedev said.
He also recalled the latest tragic events related to Katyn -- the
crash of a jet carrying Poland's President Lech Kaczynski, his spouse
Maria, and about 90 other top government officials and members of the
Seim, the national parliament, near Russia's western city of Smolensk last
summer.
"In a certain sence, it's a trial test for the country and for
society, as well as for the entire system of international relations," he
said.
Medvedev used this opportunity once again to express his whole-hearted
condolences to the whole Polish nation in connection with the tragety that
took away 96 human lives.