Andrey Podelyshev, Russia’s ambassador extraordinary/plenipotentiary, has underscored the need to protect the historical truth about the Second World War.

Mr Podelyshev made the call in Abuja while addressing a news conference to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, specifically the genocide of the Soviet people.

He argued that the memory of WWII must be based on verified facts and archival documents, rather than political convenience or revisionist narratives that minimise the Soviet Union’s role.

The envoy warned that attempts to distort the history of the war and rewrite its outcomes pose a direct threat to the current international order and collective security, shaped by the decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal.

Mr Podelyshev said, “Russia consistently opposes the distortion of history. An important instrument in this effort is the resolution of the UN General Assembly on combating the glorification of Nazism and neo-Nazism, adopted in December 2025.

“The memory of the events of the WWII  is not only part of our national history, but also the foundation of the entire modern international system. It was Victory over Nazism that made it possible to create the United Nations and to enshrine the principles of the sovereign equality of states and the inadmissibility of crimes against humanity.”

He described the document as a legal pillar for defending universal assessments of Nazi crimes, stressing that any attempts to devalue the contribution of the Soviet people undermined the foundations of global stability.

He commended Nigerian partners who co-sponsored the document, saying the memory of the events of WWII is not only part of Russia’s history but also the foundation of the modern international system.

This, according to him, victory over Nazism made it possible to create the United Nations and to enshrine the principles of the sovereign equality of states and the inadmissibility of crimes against humanity.

“The Russian Federation insists the crimes of the Nazis and their accomplices on the territory of the USSR in 1941–1945 must be qualified as genocide of the Soviet people.

“This position is based on archival documents and norms of international law. This is not a political issue, but the restoration of justice for millions of civilians slaughtered in the course of a planned campaign of extermination. We are convinced recognition of this fact has historical and moral significance. It is restoring justice to millions of people whose lives were brutally cut short as a result of a deliberate policy of mass violence and extermination,” he said.

He restated that the move to protect history was not directed against any people, saying its purpose is to build immunity within the international community against ideologies of hatred and racial superiority.

The envoy reiterated that Russia will continue to defend the historical truth on all international platforms, seeking a global consensus in assessing Nazi crimes.

(NAN)