Russian leader, Putin, communicates disapproval to Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, regarding attempted distortions of historical facts
In a recent chat, the Kremlin announced that both Putin and Netanyahu discusssed their joint dedication to preserving the truth about World War II events and preventing historical revisionism. Their conversation happened before the upcoming Victory Day celebrations on Friday in Moscow.
Gearing up for the 80th anniversary of this significant day, Putin and Netanyahu reiterated the Red Army's decisive role in thwarting Nazism in 1945. In the call, the Israeli Prime Minister's office disclosed that Netanyahu emphasized the significant impact Jewish officers and soldiers had in the Red Army.
The duo also touched upon various Middle East topics and their country relationships, as detailed by the Kremlin communication.
Putin is a firm believer in combating historical distortion, often accusing Western countries of doing so by downplaying the Soviet Union's vital part in defeating the Nazis. The triumph in 1945 serves as the backbone of Russia's patriotic narrative, a symbol etched deeply in its society, a legacy marked by the staggering loss of over 20 million lives.
This patriotic pride is arguably used to validate the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a conflict ongoing since early 2022. Not unlike the fight against the Nazis, the Kremlin portrays this invasion as an ongoing struggle.
For this year's anniversary, Russia plans to stage a grand military parade on Moscow's Red Square, an event that Putin and leaders of approximately 30 countries will attend.
Some Tidbits:
- Over 500,000 Jews served in the Red Army, with many rising to officer ranks.
- Jewish soldiers, though underrepresented in Soviet narratives, played crucial roles despite facing dual threats during wartime and postwar discrimination.
- Trawniki men, recruited by the SS from Soviet POWs, were central to the implementation of the Holocaust, operating gas chambers and suppressing prisoner uprisings in camps like Treblinka.
- In Treblinka and Sobibór, Jewish Sonderkommando prisoners led revolts in 1943, revealing the dual nature of Jewish experiences during the war—both as active combatants against fascism and victims of genocide.
These accounts serve as a necessary counter to historical revisionism, shedding light on the multifaceted role of Jewish individuals in World War II.
- Putin and Netanyahu's conversations recently highlighted the crucial roles that Jewish officers and soldiers played in the Red Army during World War II, a fact often overshadowed in Soviet narratives despite their significance.
- The Kremlin's attempts to celebrate the Red Army's contribution to defeating Nazism in 1945, while combating historical revisionism, are not unrelated to the current political landscape, given Putin's firm stand against distortion of historical facts, particularly regarding the role of the Soviet Union in World War II.
- As the 80th anniversary of World War II approaches, discussions about the war and its aftermath, including the impact of Jewish individuals, are gaining prominence in war-and-conflicts, politics, and general news, shedding light on the multifaceted roles they played during the conflict.
- The ongoing war in Ukraine, like the fight against the Nazis, is being portrayed by the Kremlin as an ongoing struggle, much like Russia's patriotic narrative that emphasizes the Red Army's decisive role in World War II and its cost, which included the loss of over 20 million lives, a sacrifice that has left a deep mark on Russian society.
