On February 15, 2013, a ten-thousand-ton meteorite exploded near the Russian city of Chebarkul in the Ural Mountains of Russia, injuring over 1000 people. The meteorite, subsequently named “Chebarkul,” is estimated by scientists to have contained approximately thirty times the explosive power of the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima in World War II. The event reminded many Russians of the 1908 Tunguskaya meteorite, which destroyed an area of over 800 square miles. While not nearly as devastating as the 1908 event, the meteorite captured headlines throughout Russia and the world.Beyond the destruction of property, however, the Chebarkul meteorite has served as an important reminder of the scars that Russia’s Soviet past have left on the country. The decades of official state lies abou