https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/21/death-statistic/
Stalin's quote seems to originate from the 18th century quote which seems to apply as much today as it did then:
One Murder made a Villain, Millions a Hero. — Princes were privileg’d To kill, and numbers sanctified the crime. - 1759, Beilby Porteus, England
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/21/death-statistic/