@rh200
All kidding aside, but I hope you don't want to belittle the gruelties that have been committed by Stalin and his aides back then by comparing them to such individual excesses which are not to be condoned in any way but are individual acts as compared to the mass genocide and atrocities back then.
What do you try to achieve by comparing that?
OK, Russia today is far from a pure Democracy and the trend is not looking really good in that regard. Putin and his subordinates are behaving badly and are actively supporting some dubious leaders and groups (That said, we as the West are not totally innocent in that regard either). By doing so he is harming his own People in the longer run. But this is very far from the Situation back in the dark Ages.
Don't get to carried away in your hatred.