MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin recommended the State Duma (lower house) to draw up a bill during its spring session on banning equating in public the roles of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during World War II.
"I recommend the Russian State Duma with the assistance of the Russian organizing committee "Pobeda" to prepare for consideration during the spring session 2021 a draft federal law on amending the federal law "On immortalizing the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" so as to introduce a ban on equating in public the role of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during World War II (1939-1945)," according to the president’s instructions published on the Kremlin website after a meeting of the Council for Culture and Art.
The issue on enhancing legislative measures to ban putting on par the goals and actions of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany was raised in October 2020 by Head of the State Duma’s Culture Committee Elena Yampolskaya at the meeting of the Council for Culture and Art. Putin endorsed the proposal, noting that this ban should be introduced but this needed to be done very carefully and mechanisms should be developed "for protecting the truth about our very recent past."
Earlier, Yampolskaya drew up the respective bill, which has not yet been submitted to the State Duma. The initiative suggests enshrining in the law "On immortalizing the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War" a regulation on banning "public statements or publications that equate the goals, decisions and actions of the Soviet leadership, the command and servicemen of the USSR to the goals, decisions and actions of Nazi Germany’s leadership, as well as the command and troops of Nazi Germany and Axis powers.