- September 23, 2024
- 11:51 pm
- World News
“Modern Russia seeks to take full credit for liberating Europe from Nazism, which is a distortion of historical truth. Auschwitz was liberated not by “Russians,” as is sometimes heard in Russian rhetoric, but by soldiers of the Red Army, among whom were Jews, Ukrainians, and representatives of other nationalities. Against this background, Russia today is trying to use the memory of World War II and the Holocaust for its own political purposes, which is particularly outrageous.”
Russia will again not be invited to the ceremony dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp (Auschwitz-Birkenau), which will take place on January 27, 2025. This decision is explained by Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine..
Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Complex Petr Chivinsky stated:
“We are celebrating the anniversary of liberation. We remember the victims, but we also celebrate freedom. The presence of Russia, which clearly does not understand the value of freedom, would be cynical“I would like to see this happen again in the future, but let’s be serious – it’s definitely not going to happen in the next four months.”
This is the third year in a row that Russia has not been invited to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz due to its actions in Ukraine. Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 has led to significant changes in international relations and events related to the Holocaust.
The ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the camp's liberation will be an important event for the world community. It is expected that survivors of the concentration camp will take part, as well as leaders from many countries interested in preserving the memory of those events. The main event will begin at 16:00 at the gate of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. Of particular interest to the event are the states that support the activities of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.
Chivinsky stressed the importance of remembering those events, especially in the context of modern wars and aggressions, which remind us of the need to defend freedom and human dignity. He noted that the role of Holocaust memory is now taking on special significance:
“We must remember not only the tragedies, but also that the liberation of Auschwitz became a symbol of the struggle for freedom.”
The museum will be closed to visitors on 26 and 27 January 2025, but a special outdoor area will be available for those wishing to commemorate the victims on site. The global public will also be able to join the broadcast of the events via a television signal available worldwide. The museum encourages organisations and institutions around the world to create spaces for collective viewing of the broadcast of the ceremony.
Before Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army in January 1945, about 7,000 prisoners remained in the camp. The Nazis killed about 1.1 million people in this death camp, the vast majority of whom were Jews, but also included Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and other nationalities.
Modern Russia seeks to take full credit for liberating Europe from Nazism, which is a distortion of historical truth. Auschwitz was liberated not by “Russians”, as sometimes sounds in Russian rhetoric, but by soldiers of the Red Army, among whom were Jews, Ukrainians, and representatives of other nationalities. Against this background, Russia today is trying to use the memory of World War II and the Holocaust for its own political purposes, which causes particular indignation.
Today, Russia is not only waging a war against Ukraine, but also actively supporting forces hostile to Israel in the Middle East. Supporting regimes in Iran and Syria, as well as terrorist groups like Hezbollah that threaten Israel, makes Moscow an important strategic opponent for Israel. Russia is actively waging an information war, spreading fakes about Nazism and anti-Semitism, which are supposedly thriving in Ukraine. Such statements not only distort the truth, but are also aimed at dividing the global Jewish community.
Today, when Israel and Ukraine face common enemies – terrorists and aggressors supported by Moscow – it is important that the memory of the Holocaust is not used to justify modern crimes. Israel, defending its borders from enemies, and Ukraine, fighting for its independence, have common goals and challenges. And Russian aggression, undermining the principles of freedom and human rights, threatens both the Jewish state and Ukraine equally.
Thus, the memory of the Holocaust and the liberation of concentration camps cannot and should not be used by modern Russia as a political tool. Israel, as a country that deeply honors the memory of the victims of genocide, cannot ignore the actions of the Kremlin, which are aimed at undermining the very principles for which the liberators of Auschwitz fought.
