Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the words of Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Shimon Shinkovsky Vel Senka, who said that Russia was not invited to events marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, as Warsaw adheres to the “spirit of historical truth” and chose participants to the basis of the "modern criterion"

“Official Warsaw has not driven itself into such a stupid position for a long time,” Zakharova wrote on her Facebook.

Diminishing the role of the USSR and Russia in World War II, Poland politicizes the outcome of the war and tries to erase historical memory. This was stated by Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin.

“The Polish leadership does not understand that the victory in the Second World War has no political tint. Like someone or not like Russia, but its decisive role in World War II is recognized by all the peoples of the world, including the states of the anti-Hitler coalition, which included the United States and Great Britain, ”RIA Novosti reports the words of the politician.

He also noted that the memory of Soviet soldiers will never be erased, while Polish politicians trying to destroy it will leave no trace in history.

“The actions of the Polish leadership insult the memory of more than 600 thousand soldiers and officers who died for the liberation of Poland from enslavers, saving the Polish people from extermination. We must always remember this, regardless of which parties and presidents come to power, ”Volodin added.

According to member of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Franz Klintsevich, such a position has been imposed on Polish society by other countries.

“When Poland does such things, I will never agree that in the deep memory of the Polish people there are such beliefs. This is an externally imposed interpretation of events. This “outside” is an overseas ideologist, before whom the entire leadership of the present Polish republic is extremely obsequious, therefore does such stupid things, ”Klintsevich said on the air of the Moscow Says radio station.

A new approach to history

Poland previously stated that Russia was not invited to events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, as Warsaw wants to "celebrate" the anniversary, adhering to the "spirit of historical truth." This was in an interview with Radio Maryja Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Shimon Shinkovsky Vel Senk.

“It is difficult to turn a blind eye to the current attitude of the Russian Federation. We want to celebrate this tragic anniversary in the spirit of historical truth. Russia, which the recent days also confirm, is not interested in this, ”he said.

The diplomat also noted that the choice of guests at the ceremony was dictated by the requirements of the time. “The key to inviting guests to celebrations is the key to modernity,” said Shinkowski Val Senk. Invitations were sent to representatives of the European Union, NATO and the Eastern Partnership (which includes Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia). “Russia does not participate in any of these formats,” the deputy minister concluded.

In addition, he said that Poland is changing its "approach to historical events." According to him, 10 years ago, Vladimir Putin was one of the main guests of the event on the occasion of the outbreak of World War II in the Polish Westerplatte, and this year, US President Donald Trump was invited to attend.

The representative of Germany, President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier also takes part in the event. Shinkovsky vel Senk justifies this with the fact that "Germany has made progress in pleading guilty in the context of World War II."

Germany’s invitation reflects a distorted understanding of history in Poland, said Viktor Vodolatsky, deputy chairman of the State Duma’s committee on CIS affairs, Eurasian integration, and relations with compatriots. According to him, the Polish authorities tend to blame Russia even for the German attack.

“The fact that today Germany is participating in the event, which wanted to blow up Warsaw by wiping it off the face of the earth, causes indignation among those people who, including in Poland, know the historical truth. The truth that a Soviet soldier saved Poland and the Polish people as a nation from destruction. But today in the world such a trend, starting with the Battle of the Ice, is Russia’s fault, ”he told RT.

Invited and refused

As already mentioned, an invitation to the United States was also sent to Poland. However, he canceled the trip because of the hurricane Dorian approaching Florida, the president’s Twitter reports. In addition, the event will not be attended by the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk.

Among the countries of the Eastern Partnership, the leaders of Belarus and Armenia refused the invitation. In both states, the reason for the refusal was associated with the exclusion of Russia from the number of guests and was reminded that the peoples of the Soviet Union fought together against Nazism.

  • The President of Germany and the leader of Poland place candles on the memorial of the destroyed synagogue during the events marking the beginning of the 80th anniversary of World War II.
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  • © Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa

“This is a matter of principle. We represent a country that was directly related to the Second World War. Our grandfathers fought in the Soviet army against Nazism, ”stated Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

The decision of the Polish authorities not to invite Russia to the ceremony was criticized by former Polish President Lech Walesa. According to him, such actions lead to even greater disagreement between countries that need dialogue.

“If we have objections, let's talk, not isolate. Without inviting Russia, we will only worsen our already bad relations. Poland was attacked from two sides. One country was invited, another was not, ”he said in an interview with Rzeczpospolita.

The position of the Polish authorities

In July, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin said that the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin in events marking the anniversary of World War II would be "inappropriate."

“It would be inappropriate to celebrate the anniversary of armed aggression against Poland with the participation of a leader who today acts in this way towards his neighbor,” he said.

According to Viktor Vodolatsky, such rhetoric of the Polish leadership demonstrates its role in the plans of Western countries to “contain” Russia.

“After Poroshenko left the stage, an ardent Russophobe and a man who performed everything that the hawks demanded from the State Department, today Poland will take on this role, which is ready to give any territory for the deployment of NATO bases, for the placement of nuclear weapons, so that, as they say, “to restrain Russia from encroaching on neighboring states,” the expert said.

As for the historical context of the event, Poland is inclined to ignore some unsightly sides of its history, said Vadim Volobuev, senior researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to him, although the Polish authorities acknowledge that Poland participated in the partition of Czechoslovakia together with Germany, they believe that the powers that signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact are primarily responsible for the Second World War. Thus, Poland, according to the authorities of the country, has some moral superiority over them.

“If we believe that the Munich Treaty led to the Second World War, then in Poland they don’t think so. They say that World War II did not break out after that, but broke out after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. That is, there are accents on different events. The Poles pay attention to the fact that World War II began with an attack on Poland, and Poland, unlike a number of countries, such as Romania, Hungary or Finland, did not become a satellite of Germany. Therefore, Poland considers itself “better” than us, ”the historian told RT.