In Russia, memories of Stalinist repressions and the Gulag are contentious topics. Despite over 20 million people perishing as a result of Stalin’s purges and many more being forced into labour camps in Siberia, the Kremlin, through propaganda and censorship, has consistently attempted to sanitise its dark history, which it portrays as a necessary measure for the nation’s security and stability. The state memory, in which the grim realities of past forced labour camps and political repressions are downplayed, however, has not gone unchallenged.