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Russian diplomat castigates Poland for distorting historical facts

According to the diplomat, the event held in Warsaw on September 1, where Russia was snubbed, involved remarks by Polish officials claiming that Poland had ‘suffered’ at the hands of the Soviet Union
War-torn buildings in Gdansk, Poland, June 1, 1964 Valentin Sobolev/TASS
War-torn buildings in Gdansk, Poland, June 1, 1964
© Valentin Sobolev/TASS

MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has refreshed Polish officials’ memory that the Soviet Union provided Poland with support during and after the Second World War.   

According to the diplomat, the event timed to commemorate the beginning of the Second World War held in Warsaw on September 1, where Russia was snubbed, involved numerous remarks by Polish officials claiming that Poland had ‘suffered’ at the hands of the Soviet Union. “How many more statements like this regarding our country, our history, will be made?” the diplomat asked.

“One can study the numerous historic materials on the outcomes of the Second World War and the unique documents from the Central Archive Fund of the Russian Defense Ministry on the website of the multimedia project “Memory against oblivion”, which the Polish try to forget,” she reminded during Friday’s briefing. “We are talking about the country [the USSR] that provided this support while desperately needing it. When the US, France, the UK stopped reparations deliveries to West Germany, Warsaw continued to receive deliveries from East Germany – the GDR [German Democratic Republic — TASS],” Zakharova said.

The spokeswoman stressed that the struggle for historic truth “is carried out not through propaganda of one-sided historical estimations or by reconstructing historical facts from today’s viewpoint, but through work with original sources, archive documents, through recovery of the timeline of events.”

Around 250 officials from various countries attended the events timed for the 80th anniversary of the Second World War in Poland. Polish officials chose not to invite Russia, stating that as of September 1, 1939, the USSR did not participate in the war, and that Poland wishes to honor the date with its current partners. The Russian leadership condemned Warsaw’s decision, reminding that 600,000 Soviet soldiers gave their lives to liberate Poland from the Nazi invaders.