Revisionism is a genetic trait - who knew?

From the BBC we learn that Joseph Stalin's grandson's attempt to remove opprobrium attached to the family name has been unsuccessful.

A Moscow court has rejected a lawsuit filed by the grandson of Joseph Stalin claiming a Russian newspaper had defamed the Soviet dictator.

Yevgeny Dzhugashvili said an article published in Novaya Gazeta claiming Stalin personally ordered the deaths of Soviet citizens was a lie. He had requested a public apology and damages from the opposition newspaper. But the court rejected his petition.

The Novaya Gazeta had published a piece referring to declassified death warrants, which it said bore Stalin's personal signature. Mr Dzhugashvili had argued that this was a lie and that Stalin never directly ordered any deaths.

The case was seen by many as part of a Kremlin-backed campaign to rehabilitate Stalin's reputation, correspondents say.

More about the case here.

The wheels on the propaganda bus still go round and round in Russia, it would seem.

The Novaya Gazeta employed writer and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya; four of its journalists have been murdered by persons unknown since 2001.