Until recently, Stalin’s figure in Russia’s public space remained marginal, but in Dagestan his presence has always been striking. Portraits and monuments appear in unexpected places — from courtyards and schools to bus stops and university facades. Alongside Imam Shamil, Stalin has become part of Dagestan’s symbolic pantheon, sustained largely by grassroots initiatives rather than official policy.

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For many, Stalin embodies both nostalgia for order and a protest against today’s instability. His image serves different purposes: legitimizing authority, criticizing local elites, or recalling the Soviet past that reshaped the region’s demography and territory. In this paradoxical role, Stalin remains not only a relic of history, but also a mirror of Dagestan’s unresolved present.