Brussels - The European Union is "deeply worried" by police raids in Russia on a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the victims of Stalin's regime, the EU said in a statement Wednesday.

The EU is "deeply worried" by police raids on the St Petersburg- based NGO "Memorial" on Thursday, and sees them as a "negative signal" of Russia's attitude towards human rights, a statement from the French government on behalf of the bloc said.

France currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Memorial is dedicated to preserving the memory of the many victims of Stalin's regime, and has been "internationally recognized and praised" for its actions.

The EU "asks the Russian authorities to guarantee the organization's freedom of action" and "expresses its concern at the use of a law on extremism to target the group," the statement said.

The EU has regularly criticized Russia for its treatment of pro- democracy groups and media outlets.

Russia in recent years has retaliated by accusing the EU of abusing Russian minorities in Latvia and Estonia.

Stalin is widely seen in Russia as a hero who made the country great and defeated Nazism. A recent internet poll named him one of the greatest Russians of all time, despite his being ethnically Georgian. (dpa)