Russia focuses on Soviet victims of WW2 as officials not invited to Auschwitz ceremony

In St Petersburg, there is a significant memorial dedicated to the Soviet civilians who suffered during World War Two. This impressive structure stands over 40 meters tall, featuring a statue of a mother with her children at the top. Below the statue, bronze sculptures depict real stories of human suffering. At the base of the memorial, an eternal flame burns, surrounded by the names of various Nazi concentration and extermination camps, including Auschwitz, Sobibor, Belzec, and Treblinka. While this memorial is not solely a Holocaust memorial, it is officially titled 'the memorial to Soviet civilians who fell victim to the Nazi genocide. ' During a recent visit, I listened to a tour guide explaining the history of the Treblinka-2 extermination camp, where the Nazis murdered up to 900,000 Jews. The guide described it as a death camp where many people were killed in gas chambers, but she did not specify that the majority of the victims were Jewish. Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled this memorial on January 27, a date that holds double significance for Russia. On this day in 1944, Soviet forces broke the nearly 900-day siege of Leningrad, and exactly one year later, the Red Army entered the gates of the Auschwitz death camp. This date has since been recognized as International Holocaust Remembrance Day due to the Red Army's liberation of Auschwitz. However, when Putin opened the memorial to Soviet civilians, he chose to speak not about the Holocaust but about the 'genocide of the Soviet people. ' He argued that the Nazis aimed to seize Russia's rich natural resources and territories while exterminating a large portion of its citizens. Although Russia has not gone silent on the Holocaust, there has been a noticeable shift in focus. In the lead-up to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, several Holocaust-related events have taken place across the country. In a message commemorating the anniversary, President Putin acknowledged that the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp and revealed the truth about the crimes committed by the Nazis and their accomplices, who exterminated millions of Jews, Russians, Roma, and other nationalities. However, the current narrative in Russia seems to emphasize the suffering of the Soviet people as a whole, including Russians, during World War Two. It is estimated that more than 27 million Soviet citizens lost their lives in what is referred to as the Great Patriotic War. This change in emphasis has not gone unnoticed. Israel's Ambassador to Moscow, Simone Halperin, remarked that while there were indeed millions of victims during the Second World War, the Holocaust was an industrialized plan to eliminate the Jewish people. She stressed the importance of remembering that the Holocaust was specifically aimed at the Jews. Historian and researcher Konstantin Pakhaliuk suggested that the Russian authorities are trying to present Russians as victims in history, which fosters a sense of victimhood. He believes this narrative has gained strength since the onset of Russia's war in Ukraine. Pakhaliuk stated, 'If you are a victim, you cannot bear responsibility. ' When Putin opened the memorial last year, he focused on the 27 million Soviet citizens who perished during the war. In the Soviet Union, there was little public discussion about the Holocaust and the systematic murder of European Jews by Hitler. On sites of mass execution of Jews by the Nazis on Soviet territory, there were few monuments or plaques acknowledging Jewish victims. This began to change after the fall of Communism, as Russian officials started to take pride in their country's historic role in defeating Hitler and saving the Jewish people from extermination. Twenty years ago, President Putin was invited to Poland to participate in events marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. During his speech in Krakow on January 27, 2005, he noted, 'The Nazis chose Poland as the site of the planned mass extermination of people, above all, of Jews… we see the Holocaust not only as a national tragedy for the Jewish people but as a catastrophe for all of humanity. ' He emphasized the duty to remember the Holocaust. However, since then, relations between Russia and Poland, as well as with Europe and the West, have become increasingly strained, particularly following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As a result, Russian officials were not invited to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Piotr Cywinski, the director of the Auschwitz Museum, stated, 'This is the anniversary of liberation. We remember the victims, but we also celebrate freedom. ' He expressed that it is difficult to imagine Russia's presence at this event, given its apparent lack of understanding of the value of freedom. The decision not to invite Russia has drawn criticism from one of Russia's most influential Jewish leaders. Rabbi Alexander Boroda, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, stated at a recent press conference in Moscow, 'Not inviting Russia is offensive to the memory of the liberators and their contribution to the victory over fascism. ' He emphasized the importance of remembering the common values that helped defeat fascism, noting that despite their differences, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition managed to unite for a common victory. Meanwhile, Jewish groups in Russia are working diligently to remind people of the past to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated. Anna Bokshitskaya, Executive Director of the Russian Jewish Congress, highlighted the rise of right-wing movements and the increasing number of Holocaust deniers. She stated, 'That's why it is crucially important to let people know about the events that happened more than 80 years ago.