MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Russia has demanded Germany officially recognize the siege of Leningrad and other crimes committed by the Third Reich as acts of genocide against the peoples of the Soviet Union, according to a note available to TASS.

"Russia has taken note of Berlin’s dual-track approach to officially recognizing the crimes against humanity that Germany committed in the past as acts of genocide. While recognizing its crimes of the colonial era as an act of genocide, Germany has so far failed do the same with regard to the siege of Leningrad and other crimes against the peoples of the Soviet Union committed during World War II. Russia insists that Germany officially recognize these atrocities of the Third Reich as acts of genocide," the document reads.

According to the Russian note, Berlin’s allegations that the issue has been resolved through the payment of reparations in the wake of World War II "are completely unacceptable and unconvincing." "There can be basically no legal connection between the post-war reparations and the restoration of human justice for all Leningrad siege survivors regardless of their ethnic background. The 'humanitarian gesture' towards Leningrad siege survivors that the German government has long promised but has not made is not comparable to the scale of the tragedy of Leningrad," the note explains.

It also points to Germany’s immoral logic as the country "has for decades paid social benefits to former Third Reich servicemen, members of the SS and the Nazi regime’s collaborators." "Russia will continue to firmly defend the rights of the victims of Nazi crimes and expects Germany to show a substantial reaction," the note concludes.