Let's remember the good things! On October 30, 2017, on the "Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Oppression", at the opening of the "Wall of Sorrow" monument to the victims of political oppression, President Vladimir Putin read the following speech: "Dear friends! Today is a special, unforgettable date: October 30 - for more than 25 years - has been celebrated in our country as the day of national remembrance for the victims of political oppression. For all of us, for future generations, which is very important, it is important to recognize and remember this tragic period in our history, when entire classes, entire peoples were subjected to brutal persecution: workers and peasants, engineers and military leaders, priests and government officials, scientists and cultural figures. The repressions spared neither talent, nor services to the motherland, nor honest devotion to it; Anyone can be brought up against completely unfounded and unfounded charges. Millions of people were declared "enemies of the people", shot or injured, and went through the agony of prisons, camps and exile. This terrible past cannot be erased from the national memory, and moreover, it cannot be justified by anything, by any supposed higher benefits of the people. In the history of our country, as in any other history, there are many difficult and contradictory stages. They argue about them, discuss them and offer different approaches to explain certain events. This is a natural process of studying history and searching for truth. But when we talk about the oppression, death and suffering of millions of people, it is enough to visit the Butovo training ground and other mass graves of the victims of oppression, there are many of them in Russia, to understand that there is no justification for these crimes. Political oppression has become a tragedy for our entire people, for our entire society, a cruel blow to our people, their roots, culture and self-awareness. We are still feeling the consequences. Our duty is to prevent forgetting. The memory itself, the clarity and unequivocalness of the position and assessments regarding these dark events serve as a powerful warning against their return.

Let's remember the good things! On October 30, 2017, on the "Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Oppression", at the opening of the "Wall of Sorrow" monument to the victims of political oppression, President Vladimir Putin read the following speech: "Dear friends! Today is a special, unforgettable date: October 30 - for more than 25 years - has been celebrated in our country as the day of national remembrance for the victims of political oppression. For all of us, for future generations, which is very important, it is important to recognize and remember this tragic period in our history, when entire classes, entire peoples were subjected to brutal persecution: workers and peasants, engineers and military leaders, priests and government officials, scientists and cultural figures. The repressions spared neither talent, nor services to the motherland, nor honest devotion to it; Anyone can be brought up against completely unfounded and unfounded charges. Millions of people were declared "enemies of the people", shot or injured, and went through the agony of prisons, camps and exile. This terrible past cannot be erased from the national memory, and moreover, it cannot be justified by anything, by any supposed higher benefits of the people. In the history of our country, as in any other history, there are many difficult and contradictory stages. They argue about them, discuss them and offer different approaches to explain certain events. This is a natural process of studying history and searching for truth. But when we talk about the oppression, death and suffering of millions of people, it is enough to visit the Butovo training ground and other mass graves of the victims of oppression, there are many of them in Russia, to understand that there is no justification for these crimes. Political oppression has become a tragedy for our entire people, for our entire society, a cruel blow to our people, their roots, culture and self-awareness. We are still feeling the consequences. Our duty is to prevent forgetting. The memory itself, the clarity and unequivocalness of the position and assessments regarding these dark events serve as a powerful warning against their return.