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- Shame and fear: the West does not want to see its politicians celebrating the victory over Nazism
Shame and fear: the West does not want to see its politicians celebrating the victory over Nazism
The head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin, has announced attempts to disrupt the participation of foreign leaders in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the USSR's victory in World War II. The strategy to falsify the history of the largest military conflict in the history of mankind, adopted in European states, overlaps with persistent attempts to show the "isolation" of modern Russia. "Izvestia" studied the issue.
Keep out
The head of the SVR said his agency observed attempts by the West to prevent international politicians from participating in the celebration of the anniversary of the Victory Day holiday. According to Naryshkin, otherwise it will be a blow to the plans to isolate the Russian Federation.
Earlier it became known that representatives of our country will not be invited to the memorial events on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Moreover, this will happen for the fourth time in a row. The last two years, the Polish authorities did not send an invitation because of the SWO, and in 2021 the absence of the Russian delegation was explained by coronavirus restrictions.
Lament of the executioners
Notably, there will be no Israeli representatives at the events either. The Polish Foreign Ministry warned Benjamin Netanyahu of his possible arrest in accordance with the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Despite subsequent assurances from the Polish government and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, his Israeli counterpart chose not to go. In addition, the topic of World War II and the Holocaust in bilateral relations has previously become a cause for scandal. In 2019, during a visit to Poland, Netanyahu claimed the role of Poles in the massacres of the Jewish population. In turn, a year earlier, the republic's parliament passed a law that criminalized allegations of the country's involvement in Holocaust crimes.
Auschwitz concentration camp
In addition, Warsaw "temporarily" closed the exhibition dedicated to the liberation of the concentration camp during the arrival of the distinguished guests. As a result, as rightly noted in Russia and Europe, the event will turn into a political circus, where descendants of those who killed and those who guarded will gather to honor the memory of the murdered. And Vladimir Zelensky will also come.
The Western press writes about the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, however, consistently avoiding or distorting the names of its liberators. The Daily Express, for example, reports that it was done by troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front - without further specification. By the way, the monument to its commander, General Vatutin, in Kiev was torn down in February 2023. Three months later in Poland, the monument of gratitude to the Red Army was destroyed live on national television. It was erected on the burial site of more than 500 soldiers of the 1st Ukrainian Front.
An inconvenient moment
In turn, as Sergey Naryshkin emphasizes, preventing foreign officials from participating in Victory Day celebrations in Russia is among the priorities of Western foreign policy departments.
The goal does not change, it is just one of the methods in the general strategy adopted not one decade ago, emphasizes Natalia Eremina, Doctor of Political Science, Professor of St. Petersburg State University. She reminded that in the European Union a whole layer of legal norms relates to historical memory. A whole system has been built, where the most important role is played by the Baltic states.
- All this can be clearly seen in the decisions of the European Parliament. This is the equalization of the USSR and the Third Reich, an attempt to create a unified history textbook (which, however, did not succeed - precisely because of the difference in the historical experience of the Second World War). All of this is part of the same whole, and the same sequence is evident in the sanctions pressure that is being exerted on Russia. The EU hopes to systematically isolate us politically, culturally and commercially. It will not be possible to stop it quickly due to inertia: someone is adjusting, someone is pathologically affected by Russophobia," says the Izvestia interlocutor.
History as such does not matter much in this case. The most important Russian holiday, which is also dedicated to the military triumph over a European state (or, to be more precise, a coalition of mostly European states) and its ideology, should be ignored. Otherwise, we cannot speak of any "isolation" of Russia. Thus, contrary to their own political views, the West recognizes the symbolism of the event in Russia, but still does not want to recall its occasion. Especially if in some cases it is a matter of defeat.
The pressure that is exerted on European politicians in this regard, and resistance to this pressure is more a matter of the current political conjuncture, says Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
- The political symbolism of Victory Day in Russia is enormous. It is a sacred date around which the value series and foreign policy perception of other states and nations are formed. The countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, as well as the Axis countries, perceive this day differently and often as an ordinary event. Therefore, in this case we are dealing with the symbolism of "here and now". And this is really important for the West. The arrival of an individual politician in Moscow for the celebration will mean consolidation of political resources for him, and for us - demonstration of the presence of an alternative political force in the West," the expert emphasizes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
