He basically said that Cromwell had some negative issues as did Stalin, but he was still worthy of being honored with statues. In other words, Stalin, all things considered, should have statues in his honor, in your boy Putin's opinion.
"Asked which Soviet leader he would most like to reconstruct in the form of a statue, Vladimir Putin made an unexpected comparison between Oliver Cromwell and Joseph Stalin.
"There is no difference. Cromwell is just as much of a bloody dictator as was Stalin."
He pointed out that there is a monument to Cromwell in London (outside the House of Commons) and no one seeks to knock it down.
Thanks for the help! So you quote Putin as saying Stalin was a “bloody dictator!”
Putin clearly did not take a position on the statue issue before the Moscow City Council.