NOVO-OGARYOVO, November 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called a high moral compass and loyalty to traditions as the basis of Russia’s national identity.
"The continuity of generations, loyalty to traditions, and a spiritual compass have been and still remain the basis of our national identity," Putin said at a meeting of the organizing committee Victory on Tuesday. These standards "are reflected, supported, and developed in culture, creative endeavor and all spheres of everyday life."
He drew attention to the recently approved Fundamentals of the State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Values, which include historical memory.
No statute of limitations
Putin emphasized the importance of preserving historical memory and mentioned the project Without a Statute of Limitations as an example. He recalled that the task of the project was the "systematic and scientific collection of information concerning the crimes committed by the Nazis and their accomplices against the civilian population during the Great Patriotic War - the very crimes against humanity that were condemned by the Nuremberg Tribunal."
"The scale of the atrocities was so enormous that then, in the 1940s of the 20th century, only part of the evidence was brought to court. It was impossible to consider everything," Putin recalled. Now these blind spots are being filled and "justice is being restored."
"In recent years, in those of our regions where the Nazis committed atrocities during the Great Patriotic War, several trials took place. They undeniably proved that the war against the Soviet Union was waged not only with the aim of seizing territories and resources. It was the deliberate genocide of the Soviet people - all nationalities and ethnic and racial groups," Putin said. He stressed that all these facts "are visible in the documents of the Nazis, everything is in the archives."
"Just recently, the blockade of Leningrad was also recognized as an act of genocide. It was high time to do this," Putin said. "By organizing the blockade, the Nazis were purposefully exterminating the people of Leningrad - everyone: from children to old people." Evidence of this is found in the Nazis’ own documents, he stressed.
At the current meeting of the Victory organizing committee Putin suggested discussing issues related to the preservation of historical memory.