"not because of but despite . . ."

"The names of Bolshevik figures must be erased from our country's map. Portraying Stalin as the winner of the war is a flagrant lie. Our people won the war, not because of but despite Stalin's repressions."(Leonid Gozman)

I don't know if what Leonid Gozman says is right, but the analytical logic behind the expression "not because of but despite" might apply in some cases.