Russia commemorates all parts of its history, the Czarist era, as well as the Soviet era. They don’t remove flags or tear down statues, just because the times have changed.
Yeah the USSR sure preserved the history of the czar, Stalin’s purges, mass starvation, gulags and slaughters throughout Europe.
Not.
Well of course - we should not avoid celebrating and honoring times of mass murder and absolute tyranny just because those times are in the past. < / s >
Why try to justify this? It isn't like that Soviet flag flew over long periods of time of a nation with a long and complex history both good and bad - those things were at the core of its characteristics. Should Germany fly the Nazi flag and have statutes standing in places of honor and celebrated simply because they are part of its history, and they shouldn't neglect doing so simply because "times have changed" since the holocaust?