Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the ideas of socialism were good – equality, fraternity, happiness, but the practical implementation of those ideas in Russia and the Soviet Union was far from what the socialists-utopists envisioned.

STAVROPOL (Sputnik) – The ideas of socialism were correct, but their implementation in Russia and the Soviet Union was far from the ideas’ nature, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday.

"The ideas were good – equality, fraternity, happiness, but the practical implementation of those ideas in our country was far from what the socialists-utopists envisioned," Putin said.

According to the Russian president, the Bolsheviks criticized the regime that preceded them, monarchy, of repressions.

"And with what did the establishment of the Soviet authorities begin? With mass repressions," Putin said. The president also highlighted the executions of the Royal Family and their closest servants as something carried out to "cover up a crime."

Earlier in the day, Putin said he still liked communist and socialist ideas

Soviet Union was a country that existed between 1922 and 1991. It was succeeded by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Last week, Putin said Soviet revolutionary Vladimir Lenin and his flow of thought were to blame for the collapse of the Soviet Union.