MOSCOW, March 31 /TASS/. Poland’s plans to remove 500 WWII monuments to Soviet soldiers in its territory are aimed at erasing the fact of the country’s liberation by the Red Army during WWII from the memory of the Polish people, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"The war on monuments is designed to erase from the memory of the Poles the fact that the Red Army saved them from total annihilation by Hitler’s Nazis," Zakharova said.

"We hope that the Polish authorities will not take the lead from extremist-minded politicians and will not implement measures, which indeed are on the verge of barbarity," the Russian diplomat stressed.

Zakahrova said Moscow had more than once suggested discussing the problem of Soviet WWII memorials with Poland. But the Polish authorities, the Russian diplomat said, had refused to heed Russia’s calls to show respect, civilized attitude and elementary human decency and stop their war on the Red Army monuments.