Describing this period of Russian history, the Russian religious scholar Sergei Ivanenko wrote: ‘ The official publication of the Russian Orthodox Church, The Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, praised Stalin as the greatest leader and teacher of all times and nations, sent by God to save the nation from oppression, landowners, and capitalists.
ودعت المؤمنين الى بذل آخر قطرة من دمهم في الدفاع عن الاتحاد السوڤياتي ضد اعدائه ،‏ وإعطاء كل ما لديهم لبناء الشيوعية › .‏ ‏ « قدَّرتهما الـ‍ KGB كثيرا »‏