Joseph Stalin
Those Russians really like their leaders tough. In a nationwide poll, Joseph Stalin came in as the third most popular Russian in history despite having been responsible for the deaths of millions.
Stalin is thought to have caused widespread famine in Russia due to his policies of rapid industrialization. He is also infamous for the purges of the 1930s and 1940s during which his opponents were executed or sent to Gulags.
The current administration however, is taking a number of steps to sanctify the legacy of Stalin, as well as other figures in Russia’s history.