In Moscow, rehearsals by night have been leading up to Russia’s celebration of Victory in the Second World War.<br /><br /> Western leaders will not see it this year, boycotting the military parade. This is to drive home condemnation of President Putin’s support for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine fighting government forces in the east.<br /><br /> Pride for the bygone Soviet Union has focused on Communist symbols and billboards with war leader Joseph Stalin, under whose rule Nazi Germany was finally crushed. <br /><br /> Yet citizens are divided.<br /><br /> Muscovite Alexei Frolov said: “I think he made a great contribution to victory. It was thanks to him that we won the war. He also industrialised the country, created heavy industry. In my opinion, his contribution was really great.”<br /><br /> Resident Fora Petrosyan underscored: “Stalin killed so many people. All those gulag labour camps were set up during his rule. From what I heard, Hitler learned how to build camps like that from him.”<br /><br /> The dictator’s face also graces po
