MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Russia notes an increase in acts of vandalism against Soviet military memorials abroad, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Thursday.
"Attempts are being made to eradicate the memory of the Soviet soldier-liberators from the minds of the Europeans since the earliest days, both at home and at school. They are being told a distorted version of World War II history, with traces of whitewashing for which they should be ashamed. As a consequence, the number of acts of vandalism against Soviet memorials abroad is on the rise," he said.
Bogdanov noted that, in many countries, the destruction of war memorials is not only approved officially, but is also considered patriotism of a sort. Even more, the authorities of some countries effectively ignore international agreements, with Poland being the most egregious example.
"The Polish authorities came up with the concept of so-called symbolic memorials, which must be de-communized, despite it contradicting the agreements between our countries on burials and places of memory of the heroes of war and victims of repressions, signed on February 22, 1994," the senior diplomat underscored.
He added that Polish authorities also violate the list of memorials of the Soviet defenders of the Homeland who are laid to rest on Polish territory.
"This paper used to include 561 objects. Currently, by March 31 this year, according to our embassy in Warsaw, only 112 of these objects remain in this foreign state," Bogdanov said. "In violation of agreements, 449 Soviet memorials, installed outside burial sites, were eliminated.".