The so-called Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) is constantly remembered in this country, with calls from the national authorities to protect the memory in the face of the attempts to distort history in other nations and whitewash the fascist genocide.

Amid the current war confrontation with Ukraine, quotes about the crimes committed by Hitler’s troops in the Eurasian nation are more frequent and Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that one of the objectives of the military operation is to “demilitarize and denazify the neighboring country.”

Putin warned that Moscow cannot allow that Kiev purchases nuclear weapons and further militarize itself, which is a danger to the country’s security, and stressed that the continued eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is unacceptable to Russia. The World War II began in September 1939 with Berlin’s invasion of Poland, and later on, other European territories were occupied.

Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and France were among the occupied nations, and only the United Kingdom escaped Nazi domination.

The German troops invaded the Soviet Union by three army groups on June 22, 1941, and the intention was to take Leningrad, Kiev and Moscow, confident that the tactics used against the countries in Western Europe would also work in the vast territory.

The head of State described this date as one of the most tragic events in the history of Russia. He recalled that in the face of that aggression, the Soviet people defended their Homeland and liberated the European countries from Nazism.

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