РУССКИЙ
14:42 31.03.2025 •
Photo: MFA
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview for the No Statute of Limitations: The Front without a Frontline project.
Moscow, March 30, 2025
Question: Mr Lavrov, could you please explain why there are attempts today to downplay or even completely deny the role of the Red Army and the Soviet people in the victory over Nazism?
Sergey Lavrov: It is a traditional position of the West to seek to weaken its competitors. Europeans dominated for about 500 years, primarily because they sought to conquer as much land as possible and enslave as many people as possible. Essentially, all of humanity’s tragedies that occurred before 1939, including World War II, were triggered by Europeans. From colonialism, slavery, and the Turkish wars, to the First and Second World Wars, these were all attempts by various powers in Europe to suppress their competitors.
In fact, there is nothing new about competition. People and states have always competed with each other. But the methods used by Europe to suppress its competitors were horrendous. These instincts are deeply ingrained in today's European society, particularly in the elites currently in power in most EU and NATO countries. Although there is growing opposition against such actions, these policies still persist.
The instincts of the ruling class in Europe are clearly evident in what is happening in Ukraine – the war that the West has unleashed against the Russian Federation, using the Kiev regime as its proxy and paving the way for its juggernaut with the bodies of Ukrainians. Just like Napoleon mobilised almost all of Europe during the Patriotic War of 1812, and Hitler, after conquering most of Europe, put the French, Spaniards, and a large part of the continent’s countries under arms, this is also happening now. The French conducted punitive operations, and the Spanish participated in the blockade of Leningrad. This is a well-known fact.
Therefore, we can see even today that almost all of Western Europe has been mobilised to try to prolong the existence of the Nazi Zelensky regime. Just like during Hitler’s era, this is being done under Nazi flags, with SS Totenkopf chevrons, etc, and so on.
If we were to honestly describe the West’s contribution to the development of humanity, we would get an unseemly picture. That is why they are attempting to whitewash their actions and the actions of their predecessors. It’s no coincidence that the rehabilitation of Nazism is becoming one of the cornerstones of the West’s position in international discussions. At least, they vote against the resolution that the Russian Federation, along with its allies, submits annually to the UN General Assembly. This resolution calls for preventing the glorification of Nazism and similar racist practices.
They cynically try to insert amendments into this resolution, equating Russia's actions – liberating people from Nazi oppression during the special military operation – with Nazism. But these attempts have not been successful, and I am confident that they will not succeed.
However, the Baltic States, Poland and a number of other EU countries have long displayed the trend of rewriting history, equating criminals – those labelled as such by the Nuremberg Tribunal – with the liberators of Europe. This trend must be fought against decisively. Among the examples is the closure of the Russian exhibition at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. This has been happening for several years now. We are not allowed to update our display or even speak there. We are simply not invited. It is astonishing that this year, the ceremony marking the anniversary of the liberation of this concentration camp, was attended by those who turned it into a death camp, while those who liberated it were nowhere to be seen.
I am particularly concerned about the behaviour of the UN Secretary-General – not because he embodies any ideals, but because he holds the high office of Secretary-General of the United Nations. Regardless of his personal background – he is a Portuguese citizen – he has spent much of his life working in international organisations. He should understand the role of the UN Secretary-General as defined by Article 100 of the UN Charter, which mandates that he take no instructions from any government, maintain neutrality, and focus solely on fulfilling the objectives of the UN Charter.
Yet, during his speech at the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Antonio Guterres failed to mention the Red Army even once, despite the fact that this memorial day was established in recognition of the Soviet soldiers who liberated the camp. This is a troubling trend.
A similar incident occurred about five years ago, long before the start of the special military operation. At the unveiling of a memorial in Jerusalem dedicated to the victims of the Siege of Leningrad, where Presidents Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US Vice President Mike Pence were present, all speakers acknowledged the heroism of the Red Army – except Mr Pence, who said that we were all overjoyed when the Allies opened the gates of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. It was clear which “Allies” he was referring to – a rewriting of history implying that we were all in this together. A sad distortion.
This phenomenon is not merely a reaction to their hostility over the special military operation. It is a broader, ongoing trend – one that must be confronted. We are doing so, primarily within the UN framework. With the involvement of our expert community, we are organising numerous seminars and conferences, holding exhibitions, and declassifying historical documents. This truth must not be forgotten.
Question: What additional efforts is Russia making to preserve historical memory and counter the information war being waged against us? Are the current legal proceedings recognising the actions of Nazi invaders in the occupied territories as genocide part of the effort to restore historical justice?
Sergey Lavrov: Absolutely. This is one of our key priorities. Such legal proceedings are taking place in the Russian Federation and in its constituent entities, particularly in the regions that suffered the most severe human and material losses during the war.
We are also actively working with civil society. Many organisations are involved in gathering evidence – through expert analysis, declassified documents, and firsthand accounts from diaries of witnesses. One of our most critical tasks at this stage is achieving official recognition of the crimes committed by Nazi Germany and its European allies who actively participated in these atrocities.
I am convinced that formal recognition of these crimes as genocide against the peoples of the USSR will not happen quickly because the resistance is immense. Acknowledging this reality would call into question the entire ideological foundation of most modern Western elites in Europe. However, this work will inevitably lead to recognition at the international level in the future.
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