Timothy Snyder: When Stalin was Hitler’s ally
A Russian biker shows a banner depicting Joseph Stalin and reading a WWII slogan \"For the Motherland! For Stalin!\" in Moscow on April 25, 2015. Pro-Putin bikers begin a controversial ride through Europe to celebrate the Soviet Union's role in the World War II victory over Nazi Germany. Poland on April 24 said it had denied entry to a Russian biker gang backed by the Kremlin that plans to ride through Europe. AFP PHOTO / DMITRY SEREBRYAKOV
As Russia revives the tradition of wars of aggression on European territory, Vladimir Putin has chosen to rehabilitate the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact as good foreign policy. But why violate now what was for so long a Soviet taboo? Timothy Snyder explains.