In a poignant memorial near St. Petersburg, Russian President Putin emphasizes the suffering of Soviet civilians rather than the Holocaust, amid heightened tensions with the West and a controversial narrative on historical victimhood.
Russia Shifts Narrative on WWII Victims Ahead of Auschwitz Anniversary
Russia Shifts Narrative on WWII Victims Ahead of Auschwitz Anniversary
As Russia commemorates the victims of World War II, the focus shifts to Soviet civilians with officials excluded from this year's Auschwitz ceremonies.
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On the outskirts of St. Petersburg, a striking monument rises more than 40 meters high, showcasing the heart-wrenching stories of Soviet civilians lost to Nazi genocide. At the pinnacle, a mother cradles her children, encapsulating the tragic impact of war. Below, an eternal flame is surrounded by the infamous names of concentration and extermination camps, including Auschwitz, Sobibor, and Treblinka. This site is not merely a Holocaust memorial; it is officially titled "the memorial to Soviet civilians who fell victim to the Nazi genocide."
During a guided tour, the guide recounts the history of the Treblinka-2 extermination camp, where a staggering number of Jews perished. "Treblinka-2 was a death camp where a large number of people were killed in gas chambers," she informs a group of schoolchildren, but she omits the crucial detail that the majority of these victims were Jews.
On January 27, the day Russian forces liberated Leningrad in 1944 and the Auschwitz death camp one year later, President Vladimir Putin unveiled this memorial. Traditionally, this date has also been observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, linked to the acknowledgment of the Red Army's pivotal role in liberating Auschwitz. However, this year, Putin has not been invited to the commemoration in Poland, reflecting a shift in historical emphasis.
At the memorial's opening, Putin highlighted not the Holocaust, but the "genocide of the Soviet people." He suggested that the Nazis aimed to expropriate Soviet resources while exterminating a significant portion of its population. While Russia has organized several Holocaust-related events recently, there is a noticeable pivot towards framing the narrative around the collective suffering of Soviet citizens during World War II, often referred to as the Great Patriotic War, in which over 27 million Soviet individuals lost their lives.
This transition in focus is carefully noted by observers. "There were millions of victims during the Second World War," states Israel's Ambassador to Moscow, Simone Halperin. "However, the Holocaust was an industrialized genocide directed specifically at the Jewish people, and it is essential to remember this distinction."
Historian Konstantin Pakhaliuk posits that the prevailing narrative of Russian victimhood has strengthened in the context of ongoing conflict in Ukraine, asserting that portraying Russians as victims absolves them of historical responsibility. Since the downfall of Soviet Communism, there has been a gradual increase in public discourse surrounding the Holocaust, although the systematic extermination of Jews under Nazi rule has often been understated.
Two decades earlier, at the 60th-anniversary commemoration of Auschwitz's liberation, Putin acknowledged the Holocaust as a catastrophe for all of humanity. His recent exclusion from such commemorative events speaks volumes about the current state of Russo-Western relations, which have soured particularly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The exclusion of Russian officials from the ceremonies has drawn criticism from influential Jewish figures within Russia. Rabbi Alexander Boroda, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, labeled the decision as disrespectful to those who liberated the camps and expressed concern over the implications for collective memory.
As discussions about Holocaust denial surge globally, regional Jewish organizations are striving to ensure that the memories of the past are preserved. According to Anna Bokshitskaya, Executive Director of the Russian Jewish Congress, the rise of extremist sentiments necessitates a renewed commitment to Holocaust education, ensuring the tragedies of the past are not forgotten.
On the outskirts of St. Petersburg, a striking monument rises more than 40 meters high, showcasing the heart-wrenching stories of Soviet civilians lost to Nazi genocide. At the pinnacle, a mother cradles her children, encapsulating the tragic impact of war. Below, an eternal flame is surrounded by the infamous names of concentration and extermination camps, including Auschwitz, Sobibor, and Treblinka. This site is not merely a Holocaust memorial; it is officially titled "the memorial to Soviet civilians who fell victim to the Nazi genocide."
During a guided tour, the guide recounts the history of the Treblinka-2 extermination camp, where a staggering number of Jews perished. "Treblinka-2 was a death camp where a large number of people were killed in gas chambers," she informs a group of schoolchildren, but she omits the crucial detail that the majority of these victims were Jews.
On January 27, the day Russian forces liberated Leningrad in 1944 and the Auschwitz death camp one year later, President Vladimir Putin unveiled this memorial. Traditionally, this date has also been observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, linked to the acknowledgment of the Red Army's pivotal role in liberating Auschwitz. However, this year, Putin has not been invited to the commemoration in Poland, reflecting a shift in historical emphasis.
At the memorial's opening, Putin highlighted not the Holocaust, but the "genocide of the Soviet people." He suggested that the Nazis aimed to expropriate Soviet resources while exterminating a significant portion of its population. While Russia has organized several Holocaust-related events recently, there is a noticeable pivot towards framing the narrative around the collective suffering of Soviet citizens during World War II, often referred to as the Great Patriotic War, in which over 27 million Soviet individuals lost their lives.
This transition in focus is carefully noted by observers. "There were millions of victims during the Second World War," states Israel's Ambassador to Moscow, Simone Halperin. "However, the Holocaust was an industrialized genocide directed specifically at the Jewish people, and it is essential to remember this distinction."
Historian Konstantin Pakhaliuk posits that the prevailing narrative of Russian victimhood has strengthened in the context of ongoing conflict in Ukraine, asserting that portraying Russians as victims absolves them of historical responsibility. Since the downfall of Soviet Communism, there has been a gradual increase in public discourse surrounding the Holocaust, although the systematic extermination of Jews under Nazi rule has often been understated.
Two decades earlier, at the 60th-anniversary commemoration of Auschwitz's liberation, Putin acknowledged the Holocaust as a catastrophe for all of humanity. His recent exclusion from such commemorative events speaks volumes about the current state of Russo-Western relations, which have soured particularly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The exclusion of Russian officials from the ceremonies has drawn criticism from influential Jewish figures within Russia. Rabbi Alexander Boroda, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, labeled the decision as disrespectful to those who liberated the camps and expressed concern over the implications for collective memory.
As discussions about Holocaust denial surge globally, regional Jewish organizations are striving to ensure that the memories of the past are preserved. According to Anna Bokshitskaya, Executive Director of the Russian Jewish Congress, the rise of extremist sentiments necessitates a renewed commitment to Holocaust education, ensuring the tragedies of the past are not forgotten.
