Actually I don't understand why second world war is THAT interesting. It ended 60 years ago, and looking at some of the channels dealing with history you might think that that is the only event that has ever happened.
Well, they had 15-20 million dead during that war. Can't really blame them for being preoccupied with it.
Yeah, but most of those were killed by Stalin, rather than the Nazis.
Do you think all the Soviet dead in WWII were victims of Stalin? I mean, sure Stalin was responsible for plenty of dead, but you might want to make note that Germany invade the country and many millions died as a result.
Yes, many were killed in combat; but while the Germans were invading, Stalin was also busy killing his own troops as well. Executing retreating soldiers, or sending them off to labour camps and gulags; starving front lines troops, sending troups into situations that they clearly had no chance of surviving; withholding supplies needed by front-line troops in order to keep his personal guard well supplied and armed; engaging in purges the ranks (particularly officers) of "traitors" and "undesirables", particularly in the Ukraine; etc. When Germany surrendered, most of the returning POWs were either executed outright or sent to gulags as spies/collaborators. It's estimated that Stalin, directly or indirectly, caused the deaths of more Soviet troops than Hitler did.
