Russia may ban construction on graves of victims of the genocide of the Soviet people

On April 8, deputies of the State Duma of Russia will consider the introduction of a moratorium on construction and excavation work at the sites of the discovery of the remains of victims of the genocide of the Soviet people. The relevant initiative is reflected in the amendments to the second reading of the law "On Perpetuating the Memory of the victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945," Izvestia found out on April 7.

"We will extend the moratorium on construction and excavation work until the completion of the examination and possible reburial in cases of discovery of the remains of civilians who suffered from the Nazi genocide. Now it is introduced only when the remains of defenders of the Fatherland are found. For example, in or near the territories of former concentration camps, such as in the Sylvia Park in the Leningrad Region, as well as in besieged villages that could have been destroyed during the war, there may be graves where civilians are buried. There will also be an obligation to keep state records and certify such burials," Olga Zanko, the author of the bill and deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee for the Development of Civil Society, told Izvestia.

Moreover, now the rules of land use and development will be developed and changed to ensure the safety of these graves, she noted. In general, today the bill creates the legal basis for perpetuating the memory of the victims of the genocide of the Soviet people by the Nazis and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War: for example, it introduces the very concept of "genocide of the Soviet people", permits the search for the remains of civilians who suffered from the genocide, and protects their graves and memorabilia. places.

"We are creating a legal regime to ensure the safety of the graves of the victims of the genocide. This is our duty to those people who died innocently for the sake of our present. Citizens and organizations will have an obligation to notify if the remains of genocide victims are found," Zanko stressed.

Citizens and legal entities will also be responsible for the safety of these graves if they are located on their own land plots, the deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee added.

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The crimes of the Nazis became known to the world

On February 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia would seek recognition of the crimes of the Nazi invaders and their accomplices against the civilian population as genocide of the peoples of the USSR. He stressed that preserving the historical memory of the Great Victory and uncompromisingly fighting against the propagandists of neo—Nazi ideology and falsifiers of history is the sacred duty of modern citizens to the generation of heroes.