Comment by DominikR | Hacker News Reader

Comment by DominikR | Hacker News Reader

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I very much doubt that this article is 100% accurate on the reason for the fine. The Russian government doesn't defend Communism and the USSR in any shape or form.

What triggers them is any suggestion that the Nazis were good and suggesting the surrender of St Petersburg to the Nazis would have been great definitely falls into that category for the majority of Russians.

On top of that St Petersburg really has a problem with violent Neo Nazis groups, or at least had - don't know how it's today.

I'm actually pro freedom of speech to a degree that most people in Europe are not (I would allow them have their stupid demonstrations) but the truth is that in most countries some ideologies are forbidden. Nazism is forbidden in most parts of Europe or how about showing public support for ISIS.

I'm 100% sure it is forbidden everywhere in Europe (maybe with UK being the only exception).

The Russian government doesn't defend Communism and the USSR in any shape or form.

Well, it's not like anyone's trying to get the USSR officially reconstituted. But there does seem to be a very deep undercurrent of respect about what the USSR stood for (as a form a "Greater Russia", in effect), independent of the CPSU's hegemony over it.

As exemplified by, for example, Putin's famous statement about its collapse being "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century". And the widespread contempt for Gorbachev for having presided over it (or at least for having caved into under far too generous terms for Russia's geopolitical adversaries).

I agree, I understand his statement mostly as rejecting the way how the transition was made and for the chaos that ensued after the collapse. (which was truly horrific even without the wars)

But also in that Russia lost its historic Great Empire position (in particular, with respect to the Baltics and Ukraine), along with a good chunk of its superpower status in the world, generally. Which he didn't have to mention directly, but that's the "chord" that quote seems to strike, in a broader context.

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