The Russian leadership presents the Soviet era as a meaningful chapter in national history. The Kremlin spokesman stated that the regime will not mark the 100th anniversary of the USSR’s founding, as reported by state media. They will not celebrate. The Soviet years are viewed as a significant, inseparable part of Russian history, the spokesman noted. He also attempted to convey a Putin quote about the Soviet Union, suggesting that only a person without a heart would regret the collapse and only a person without a brain would seek its restoration, while noting that the exact wording was under consideration.
Amid this message, the Kremlin housed an exhibition titled To the 100th Anniversary of the Formation of the USSR Chicherin and Soviet Diplomacy, organized by the Moscow Kremlin Museums. The exhibit honors Georgy Chicherin, the first People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet era. Historically, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics formed on December 30, 1922, and on December 26, 1991 the Council of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet adopted a declaration signaling the end of the USSR as it formed the Commonwealth of Independent States CIS.
Zyuganov about salvation
Gennady Zyuganov, the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, argued that the creation of the USSR preserved the Russian state after the tsarist era. The view is that through Leninist and Stalinist modernization and the Great October Revolution the Soviet state liberated Russia. This is presented as the principal achievement to be proud of because World War II exposed the weaknesses of the old tsarist regime funded by Western capitals which dragged the country into conflict. He added that Russia must not abandon justice and socialism and urged drawing inspiration from China’s example. If the best moments of the Soviet era are built upon with more recent progress, endurance is possible. Look at how China advanced in the early decades with strong growth as a point of comparison for Russia, he remarked.
general date
In early December, the presidential press secretary asserted that the history of the Soviet republics and their union will forever constitute a shared history. What is celebrated in history, including ties with now independent states and former Soviet republics, remains part of the common past, he explained. Today a present and a future shaped by political will created certain integration mechanisms which are very significant, he added. He spoke in response to questions about the Belovezhskaya Agreements and the 31-year anniversary of the Soviet dissolution, noting that the decision about that date was made by Kyrgyzstan authorities as Putin prepared to attend the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Bishkek.
About the heart and brain
The Putin remark about the Soviet collapse cited today was made in 2005. Putin later called the USSR demise a tragedy for millions of people. We essentially threw away the baby with the bathwater; liberation from dictatorship should not have meant the collapse of the state, he told a European broadcaster. He highlighted the tragedy of a people who found themselves suddenly living outside their traditional borders while still identifying as part of the Russian people, describing a figure as high as 25 million in that moment of reflection.
In the same interview Putin echoed the sentiment. He said Those who do not regret the Soviet collapse have no heart and those who regret it have no head. We are not all about regret; we speak the truth and look forward. Notes indicate that similar sentiments have appeared among other politicians. Some reports attribute the line to Oleksandr Moroz of Ukraine in 1994 and to General Alexander Lebed in 1996. Boris Yeltsin reportedly recalled the phrase shortly after. In 2000 Putin himself used a variant during an interview with RTR-Vesti while Nursultan Nazarbayev and Leonid Kuchma also referenced related ideas in later years. Other leaders, including Viktor Chernomirdin and the Ukrainian president, were cited in similar contexts.