The Russian Federation was not invited to the events dedicated to the Day of the Liberation of concentration Camp prisoners

Representatives of Russia were not invited to the events dedicated to the Day of the Liberation of Concentration Camp prisoners in Germany. The expert, former prisoners of the camps and veterans of April 11 commented on this decision.

"This is a scandal. The Soviet Union and its army played a key role in liberating Europe from Nazi rule. It was the Soviet people who suffered the heaviest losses in this struggle," said Gunnar Lindemann, a member of the Berlin parliament.

Izvestia correspondent Vitaly Chashchukhin noted that every wreath left at the monuments in honor of prisoners of Nazi camps from different countries was decorated in national colors. However, only a white ribbon was tied in memory of Russian citizens who became victims of concentration camps.

One of the veterans said that in those days the prisoners were called "prisoners of war." He noted that their appearance was terrible: some were in robes, others were covered with blankets or something similar. The veteran stressed that it was very hard to look at them, as the only thing left in these people was the sparkle in their eyes.

"We're going to see who's still alive. We go to mass graves, but there is no monument anymore," said Nina Moroz, a former prisoner of the Salaspils camp.

Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev noted that there are more than 4,000 military graves in the country. 700,000 Soviet soldiers are also buried here.

"We really hope that we will be able to hold these events with due respect and without interference," he stressed.

Every year, on April 11, Russia and other countries celebrate the International Day of Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps. One of the most famous such places was Buchenwald, located in the eastern part of Central Germany. More than 250 thousand people became its prisoners, about 56 thousand of whom died. The memorable date was decided to be celebrated on the day of the liberation of this camp.