Seventy percent of Russians approve of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's role in the country's history, according to a poll published by the independent Russia-based Levada Center on Tuesday.

Fifty-one percent of respondents viewed the former dictator favorably in March, up from 40% in 2018, while 19% viewed him negatively.

Stalin's image has been transformed from that of a bloody autocrat to an "outstanding leader," per the poll, with the number of people who view him with admiration, sympathy, or respect at its highest level since the Levada Center started asking about Stalin's impact in 2001.

Stalin killed millions of people during his 31-year reign, including at least 750,000 during the Great Purge, a political campaign led by the dictator to eliminate dissenting members of the Communist Party and anyone else he considered a threat, between 1936 and 1938.

"Nostalgia over the collapse of the Soviet Union is at a peak this year. In addition, Stalin is seen as a figure who ensured social justice," something Russians are increasingly seeking amid discontent with falling living standards and a government reform of pensions, Levada analyst Karina Pipia said, according to Bloomberg. But these people "don't really want to go back to those times."

The March 21-27 survey of 1,600 people had a margin of error no greater than 3.4 percentage points.

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