All news

No-one denies Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, but USSR, Third Reich not to be equated — Kremlin

The spokesman blasted comparisons between the USSR and Nazi Germany as atrocious
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Sergei Karpukhin/TASS
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov
© Sergei Karpukhin/TASS

MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. The Kremlin considers comparisons between the USSR and Nazi Germany atrocious and urges not to engage in empty concerns over the bill that bans such equalization, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

According to the spokesman, the issue of the Soviet-German relations in 1939-1941 and the issue of the bill that prohibits publicly equating roles of the USSR and Germany in early World War II - are "totally different historical categories."

"It is one thing to talk about the bilateral [Soviet-German] relations, which indeed took place, and they cannot be denied; you know about documents that were signed, and the addendums to them [the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and the added secret protocol - TASS], all of this happened, and nobody is going to deny our own history," Peskov said. Meanwhile, according to the spokesman, "to blame Russia for the beginning of World War II in any way is nothing but sacrilege, and this sacrilege will not be legally cemented."

Answering a question whether this initiative can lead to overly harsh restrictions, Peskov noted that remarkably concerns over the use of various bills emerge "constantly" even before they come into force. According to the spokesman, in this case, just like in the case with other bills, it is important to wait for the beginning of the judicial practice.

"And, should some unfavorable examples happen, if we together see that there is some overkill - then let’s react," he urged. "Instead of expressing concerns without ground… Especially considering that, as horrible as it sounds, we can see such equating take place even in Western Europe."

According to Peskov, it is important to safeguard "the public opinion, the public life from such horrific comparisons" in Russia.

The bill that prohibits publicly equating goals and actions of the USSR and the Third Reich during World War II has been introduced to the State Duma in early May.