There are extremists everywhere, but only in Ukraine are the Nazis encouraged and glorified by the state, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit.
“In no civilized country are the authorities encouraged to hold thousands of neo-Nazi torch marches with Nazi symbols. This is not done anywhere. Unfortunately, this is happening in Ukraine,” criticized the president at the meeting with the leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, who are members of the bloc.
He stressed that neo-Nazism has long been widespread in Ukraine, while Western countries turn a blind eye and even encourage it.
“All of this is accompanied by an unprecedented outburst of angry Russophobia in the so-called civilized and politically correct countries in Western society,” he said.
Putin called on the bloc of former socialist countries to work together to defend the memory of the victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) against German Nazism and the deeds of their peoples who suffered enormous losses in the conflict.
He stressed the need to oppose any attempt to whitewash the Nazis, their collaborators and their contemporary supporters. “This is extremely important at a time when several European countries are barbarically destroying monuments to liberating heroes,” he said.
The President warned that there are nations that ban the laying of wreaths at monuments, “cynically attempting to rewrite history, glorifying murderers and traitors, and insulting their victims.”
In a joint statement, the CSTO member states condemned all attempts to distort historical events related to the confrontation with Nazism and emphasized their intention to continue to oppose attempts to glorify neo-Nazism, racism and xenophobia. (Agency summary)