According to him, some claims to the head of the USSR are true, in particular, the issue of repressions. 

“Stalin and his entourage really deserve many well-founded accusations. We remember the crimes committed by the regime against our own people, and the horror of mass repressions. In other words, there are many things that the Soviet leaders can be blamed for, but a poor understanding of the nature of external threats is not one of them, ”he said.

At the same time, Putin noted that Soviet leaders "saw attempts to leave the Soviet Union face to face with Germany and its allies."

“Given this real threat, they sought to win the precious time needed to strengthen the country's defense,” the president emphasized.

Earlier, Putin called the cynicism of the statement that the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin "unleashed the Great Patriotic War."