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Appeal by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

to the parliaments of foreign States and the peoples of the world with regard to the 75th Anniversary of the Victory over Nazism


Unofficial translation

APPEAL BY THE FEDERATION COUNCIL OF THE FEDERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

to the parliaments of foreign States and the peoples of the world with regard to the 75th Anniversary of the Victory over Nazism

The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation urges the parliaments of foreign States and the peoples of the world to once again appreciate the invaluable achievement of the human civilization, which is the Victory of the Anti-Hitler Coalition and all its allies in World War II against their common enemy, Nazis, and their accomplices.

Noting the particular importance of the Anti-Hitler Coalition as a unique historical example of States with different political systems uniting their efforts to counter the threat to the entire humankind, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation welcomes the Joint Statement by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and President of the United States of America Donald J. Trump Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Meeting on the Elbe of April 25, 2020, that, among other things, says the following: ”The ‘Spirit of the Elbe’ is an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause.“

The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation supports the annual adoption since 2005 of the resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) titled ”Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance“, as well as the proposal to adopt a resolution of the UN General Assembly commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II that has already been co-sponsored by around 40 UN Member States.

That war was one of the bloodiest in the history of humankind. It claimed countless civilian victims. Millions of ordinary people, including women, children and the elderly, were slaughtered just for belonging to a certain ethnic group.

The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation recalls that the Verdict of the International Military Tribunal established for the prosecution and punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis (Nurnberg Tribunal) recognized the deeds of the major Nazi criminals who bear full responsibility for initiating and waging World War II as criminal offenses. The Tribunal’s decision became crucial, as it essentially provided a final assessment of both the causes and outcomes of the war and clearly identified who was in the right and who was in the wrong, who was guilty and who was innocent, who was a criminal and who was a victim.

World War II is an important and difficult period in modern history. The examination of its events is far from complete. Historians from various countries play a major role in this process. The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation appreciates their work for the sake of historical truth and understands the related discussions but states with full responsibility that the assessment of the offences of the Nazi leaders made by the Nurnberg Tribunal and confirmed by the UN General Assembly cannot be forgotten.

The States where the battles of World War II took place bear a special responsibility for preserving the monuments to the victorious heroes. In this regard, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation urges the parliaments of foreign States and the peoples of the world to support the initiative to recognize the Victory over Nazism in World War II as part of the world heritage of humanity and declare the monuments to the fighters against Nazism in all countries world monuments of humankind. This initiative has already received the support of many inter-parliamentary organizations.

Any attempt to place equal responsibility for initiating and waging the war on both the Nazi criminals and the Anti-Hitler Coalition countries, as well as to justify Nazi criminals and their accomplices is not just a falsification of history. Such attempts are illegitimate, immoral in nature and blasphemous to the memory of those who liberated the world from the evident and legally confirmed evil.

The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation strongly condemns the desire of certain political forces of the world to shield those who are actually responsible for the war, diminish the role of the Soviet Union in the victory against the Nazis and rehabilitate those who fought against the liberators alongside Hitler’s executioners, served the occupation regime in the European countries and participated in the atrocious Holocaust, as well as other crimes against humanity.

Seventy-five years is not the longest period of time in human history, however, the lessons learned in that part of history that still lives in the memory of those who made it with their heroic deeds cannot be forgotten, otherwise, we will be forced to relive the most horrific of its pages. No one has the right to betray the memory of our ancestors to serve their petty and fleeting political interests, however tantalizing such a prospect might seem.

The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation urges the parliaments of foreign States and the peoples of the world to ensure that the historical truth is not distorted, fight against the glorification of former Waffen-SS members, members of Nazi and fascist movements, Banderites and other nationalists like them and their current successors and continuers, and prosecute those who insult the memory of the heroic liberators, deny Holocaust and the extermination by the Nazis of the so-called non-Aryan peoples and glorifies Nazi executioners. Our shared duty is to not just honor the memory of those who died for freedom and peace on Earth, but also do our utmost today to defend the cause they fought and gave their lives for. Only then, we will have a chance to shape our common future free of wars, xenophobia and hostility.

Federation Council
of the Federal Assembly
of the Russian Federation