Memorial to USSR civilians who fell victim of Nazi genocide during Great Patriotic War. Photo: Pavel Bednyakov, RIA Novosti
In recent times, we have often seen politicians and public figures, primarily from Western countries, either downplay or remain silent about the horrific crimes committed against the peoples of the USSR during World War II and the Great Patriotic War. Some attribute the suffering of millions to just one country or a single nation. These actions are compounded by attempts to distort the historical truth about World War II and undermine the immense sacrifices made by the Soviet people to achieve victory over fascism. In such conditions, recognizing at the international level the crimes committed by the Third Reich on Soviet territory during World War II as genocide is a necessary measure aimed at restoring historical justice for all the peoples of the former Soviet Union, more than 27 million of whose citizens fell victim to Nazi aggression.
What is genocide? It is a crime committed against a group of people with the intention of destroying them. According to historical data, from July 1941 to August 1944, during the occupation of Soviet territory, the German Nazi invaders and their collaborators used punitive actions and concentration camps to kill more than 7.3 million people, including 18,000 children. During the Siege of Leningrad alone, systematic bombings and starvation resulted in the deaths of over 1 million people. Moreover, 2 million people were taken into slavery in Nazi Germany. All these crimes were committed with cold-blooded cruelty, intending to cause as many human casualties as possible.
Crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations. For decades, Russia has expected Germany to take historical responsibility and officially recognize the genocide committed by the Third Reich against the peoples of the USSR, in line with its declared commitment to post-war reconciliation between the peoples of Germany, Russia, and other post-Soviet states. However, Germany authorities have not done so. Furthermore, in recent years, they have increasingly distanced themselves from the principles previously declared in the Federal Republic of Germany. They now even support neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine and attempt to rehabilitate former SS soldiers. All of this further convinces Russia of the necessity of raising the issue of recognizing the genocide committed by the Third Reich against the peoples of the USSR at the international level. Such recognition would affirm the international community’s total rejection of the ideology of Nazism and racial superiority, and recognizing the genocide of the peoples of the USSR by the Third Reich should be a manifestation of this commitment.
The author of the article is H.E. Nikolay Kudashev, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Singapore.
