BREST, 22 June (BelTA) - The memory of the Great Patriotic War events firmly unites the peoples of Russia and Belarus, Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Chairman of the Russian Historical Society Sergey Naryshkin said at a panel discussion at the Brest Hero Fortress Memorial on 22 June, BelTA has learned.
The SVR head took part in the panel discussion in the Brest Fortress via a teleconference with the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Gora. Sergey Naryshkin greeted the participants of the event that gathered at the Museum of the Brest Defense Fortress, recalling his visit to Brest in 2014 during commemorative events marking the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War. “The memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War firmly unites the peoples of Russia and Belarus, helps us build a common historical future and respond with dignity to any external challenges,” he said.
Sergey Naryshkin said that there were plans to open a memorial complex in Leningrad Oblast in a year to honor peaceful citizens of the Soviet Union, who became victims of genocide by the Nazis. This memorial will serve as a reminder of the tragedy of Hitler's occupation, including the crimes of the punishers in the Belarusian Khatyn and hundreds of other Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian villages.
“It is of crucial importance that the memory of the criminal nature of Hitler's ideology - a worldview based entirely on lies and contempt for human life and human dignity - become an antidote to the manifestations of neo-Nazism today. We are now witnessing the full extent of the consequences of this social scourge in Ukraine. Supporters of Nazi ideas tend to dictate their will by brute force. Fortunately, those for whom the universal values of freedom, dignity, and justice are not an empty phrase, but a guide to action, often stand in their path. Often they fight in the minority, are persecuted for their views and beliefs, so it is our duty to support such people in word and deed,” the SVR director said.
In his words, the Russian military-historical and historical societies and the Peace Foundation are expected to sign the founding documents of the new organization - the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize Foundation. According to Sergey Naryshkin, it will become a reliable tool to support like-minded anti-fascists from different countries and people of good will.
The panel discussion held at the Museum of Brest Fortress Defense marked the 81st anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War and the presentation of the book “1941-1945. Belarus-Russia. The Partisan Movement during the Great Patriotic War”.
