Zakharova explained the meaning of the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the Genocide of the Soviet people

By setting a new memorial date, Russia not only honors the memory of Soviet citizens who died at the hands of the Nazis, but also defends the historical truth that the collective West is fighting against. This was announced on April 18 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

"The problem is that we see how in the international arena, in various countries or in various country associations, painstaking, despicable, but at the same time systematic work was carried out to rewrite world history," the diplomat stressed in an interview with TASS dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People.

Zakharova drew attention to the practice of a selective approach to victims: some nations remain in historical memory, while others, primarily those who suffered multimillion losses, like the Soviet Union, are forgotten. The diplomat expressed confidence that in Russia the memory of the past is sacredly respected.

"There is another date — June 22, the Day of Remembrance and Mourning, which records another event — the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. February 23, Defender of the Fatherland Day, has always been revered and remembered by the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, these dates, as well as our other important holidays or corresponding days, are filled with facts and special meaning," she concluded.

Trial by peace: what the Leningraders suffered from in the first years after the war

Why the city faced a surge in crime and how profiteering helped to survive

On the same day, Zakharova reported that many educated Westerners were unaware of the deaths of 27 million Soviet citizens in the Great Patriotic War (WWII). She attributed this level of awareness to the systematic work of NATO member states to falsify world history.

On April 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law punishing the denial and approval of the genocide of the Soviet people. Thus, for publicly denying the fact of genocide, one can face imprisonment for up to three years.