MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry will thwart attempts to vilify Russia and falsify its history, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu pledged on Wednesday.
"The Defense Ministry will counter attempts to demonize Russia and distort its history. This is particularly important in the run-up to the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the [Soviet Union’s] Great Patriotic War [against Nazi Germany — TASS]," he said at the ministry’s board meeting.
According to the defense chief, efforts to make public declassified wartime records will continue. "New sections of the Memory of the People interactive service will be available on the ministry’s website by May 9. The Commanders of the Victory multimedia project and the Liberation Fireworks project, which provides information on the liberation of the capitals of European countries, are being updated all the time," Shoigu said.
"In order to perpetuate the memory of those who lost their lives defending their homeland, plans are in store to conduct 11 search expeditions this year, repair and revamp 2,144 war cemeteries in Russia and 78 abroad," he pointed out.
The construction of the Russian Armed Forces’ main cathedral, which will be consecrated during Victory Day celebrations, continues, he added.