Authorities in Moscow have decided to completely transform the Gulag History Museum into a new institution dedicated to Nazi crimes. The facility, which for a quarter of a century documented the Stalinist system of concentration camps, will now operate as the Museum of Memory. This change is interpreted by experts as another stage in the Kremlin's historical policy, aimed at extinguishing debate about internal repressions in the Soviet Union in favor of a narrative about the Great Patriotic War.

Erasure of memory of Stalinism

The museum documenting the Gulag camp system is being definitively closed in its current form, ending the period of open commemoration of the victims of terror.

New educational profile

The facility will focus on Nazi crimes and the genocide of the Soviet people, promoting patriotic upbringing of the youth.

Kremlin policy

This action fits into the strategy of Vladimir Putin, aimed at marginalizing memories of internal repressions.

The decision to reorient the Gulag History Museum marks a turning point in Russian memory politics. The institution founded in 2001, which until now meticulously documented the fates of millions of prisoners of the Gulag, will now be dedicated to the "genocide of the Soviet people" perpetrated by the Third Reich. According to official statements, the facility is now to serve "patriotic education of the younger generation". Critics of the regime point out that this is a deliberate action aimed at whitewashing the figure of Joseph Stalin and erasing traces of communist crimes. In recent years, Russia has systematically restricted the activities of organizations dealing with the study of Stalinist crimes, symbolized by the liquidation of the Memorial association in 2021. The change in the museum's profile comes at a time when Vladimir Putin is placing increasing emphasis on uniting society around the cult of victory over fascism. The new exhibition is to focus on the suffering of civilians during the German occupation, which, according to historians, is intended to divert attention from the internal terror that claimed the lives of millions of citizens of the USSR. The facility, which has been closed since last autumn under the pretext of "violations of fire regulations", will not return to its original mission. It will be replaced by programs consistent with the current ideological line of the state. „The use of the exhibition space will be changed to serve the commemoration of the victims of the genocide of the Soviet people and the historical education of young generations.” — Museum Statement Many observers see this as the final victory of a politics of forgetting over the duty to reckon with the past. The Gulag History Museum was one of the last significant state institutions in Russia that openly spoke about the dark sides of Soviet history. Currently, the Kremlin's priority is to build national pride, which, according to the authorities, precludes highlighting the tragic mistakes of the previous system. This process fits into the broader context of historical revisionism, which is becoming the foundation of the modern identity of Russian statehood.

Mentioned People

  • Vladimir Putin — President of Russia, under whose rule a revision of historical policy is taking place.
  • Joseph Stalin — Dictator of the Soviet Union, creator of the Gulag system.