Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin today became the first head of the country to publicly pay tributes to millions of victims of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin s political purges.

At a ceremony commemorating the height of the Stalin-era "Great Purge" in 1937,Putin said political disputes and struggle are crucial for country s development but they should not be "destructive." "Political disputes, political battles, exchange of ideas and struggle are crucial for a country's development, but they should be constructive, not destructive, and the political struggle should remain within a cultural and educational framework," Putin said after paying tributes at a memorial service in the Church of New Martyrs.

The church opened in Butovo suburb this year, where over 20,000 people, including Christian priests were executed in 1937-1939 at the firing range operated by Stalin's dreaded NKVD secret police. "No idea could be valued more than human lives," he said adding tragedies like Stalinist reprisals occurred when attractive, but shallow ideals were placed above human lives, human rights and freedoms.

Putin said it was a "great tragedy for Russia." He reminded that atrocities committed in the course of civil war and physical annihilation of whole strata of society including priests and spiritual intellectuals during the class war following 1917 Bolshevik revolution were precursor of Stalin's purges.

Source : PTI