Posted on 12/27/2019 12:07:48 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
As top Russian officials were summing up the results of 2019, one subject stood out in President Vladimir Putin's pronouncements: Poland and its role in World War Two.
Over the past seven days, he mentioned it no fewer than five times at key meetings - some of which had little to do with history or even foreign policy. In an unusual outburst at a Defence Ministry board on 24 December, he described the Polish ambassador to Nazi Germany as "scum and an anti-Semite pig".
Two hours later, he brought the subject up again at a meeting with parliamentary leaders. State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin thanked Putin and demanded an apology from Poland.
Vladimir Putin's criticism of Poland follows a European Parliament resolution which blames both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany for the outbreak of World War Two.
The USSR's victory in World War Two is one of the most venerated pillars of state ideology, and more than 70 years on it is still celebrated with much fanfare and bombast every year. It is also a key way for President Putin to legitimise himself and his expansionist foreign policy as a successor to the Soviet empire. So the Kremlin sees any criticism of what is known in Russia as the Great Victory as an attack on itself.
None of which is, of course, reason enough for Poland to accept the accusations, which it has described as "false narratives".
They are a highly sensitive subject in Poland, which outlawed suggestions of complicity in Nazi war crimes in 2018. Following an outcry, the law was softened to make them a civil, not a criminal offence.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
“”””Also, don’t forget that the Russians allowed the Nazis to devastate the Polish resistance in Warsaw before the Nazis were forced to retreat. This inaction allowed the Russians to install their own puppet regime in Poland.””””
That is not the first time I see this take on it but it is logically flawed.
First of all I am sure the Nazis weren’t obliged to ask the Soviets before taking action against the resistance and then the Soviets owed resistance nothing.
Not to say it was mighty politically incorrect from the Soviet point of view to spill blood for the British-influenced Polish government (non-puppets, let’s put it this way) to fly in on their coattails.
Freedom is never free.
I still like Spam, but my family thinks I'm crazy.
On 25 July, the Union of Polish Patriots, in a broadcast from Moscow, stated: “The Polish Army of Polish Patriots ... calls on the thousands of brothers thirsting to fight, to smash the foe before he can recover from his defeat ... Every Polish homestead must become a stronghold in the struggle against the invaders ... Not a moment is to be lost.”
On 29 July, the first Soviet armoured units reached the outskirts of Warsaw, where they were counter-attacked by two German Panzer Corps: the 39th and 4th SS.
On 29 July 1944 Radio Station Kosciuszko located in Moscow emitted a few times its “Appeal to Warsaw” and called to “Fight The Germans!”: “No doubt Warsaw already hears the guns of the battle which is soon to bring her liberation. ...
The Polish Army now entering Polish territory, trained in the Soviet Union, is now joined to the People’s Army to form the Corps of the Polish Armed Forces, the armed arm of our nation in its struggle for independence. Its ranks will be joined tomorrow by the sons of Warsaw. They will all together, with the Allied Army pursue the enemy westwards, wipe out the Hitlerite vermin from Polish land and strike a mortal blow at the beast of Prussian Imperialism.”
The Uprising began on August 1st. The Soviets gave all indications they would assist if the Uprising took place.
The Soviets sat there for weeks, allowing the Germans to destroy Warsaw.
What do you think the reaction of the French would have been if the British and American armies had done the same to Paris?
Thank you!
Nie ma za co!
I understand it might look controversial from the moral perspective but there were no negotiated support promised. Also the Soviets were fully aware that UK is planning to fly the anti-Soviet government to Warsaw following the uprising. To postpone attack was a sort of real-politic. Legally based on the norms of foreign policy they did nothing wrong.
Russia has no call to denigrate anybody’s history.
But it was clear that the Soviets did not want Poles to choose their post-war destiny.
What really sucks, is I actually do defend Russia here from time to time.
But crap like this puts them right back on the fighting side of me.
“They are a highly sensitive subject in Poland, which outlawed suggestions of complicity in Nazi war crimes in 2018. “
There were both Polish institutions and individuals who were complicit in horrible war crimes, especially elements of the Holocaust.
Enough that the new government saw fit to make it illegal to suggest otherwise.
Not unlike Turkey and the Armenians.
“”””What do you think the reaction of the French would have been if the British and American armies had done the same to Paris?””””
Moot point. US forces were late to the party when it comes to the first time Germans captured Paris and the British were running away.
At the end of the war the Germans weren’t really serious about destroying Paris and above all the Soviets didn’t conspire with the French resistance to fly in the Communist government to France following eviction of the Nazi.
What Polish institutions? There were no Polish institutions during the war.
Individuals? Yes, but that could be said for EVERY occupied country during the war.
Hitler started WWII a good year before Poland was divided.
Care to elaborate on that?
That was a pretty impressive (if unpersuasive) rhetorical dance - got one for Katyn Forest as well?
Because there was a lot of crap said about Poland's role. First of all, NOT ONE SINGLE POLE served as a guard at the Death Camps, there were plenty of Ukrainians and Lithuanians who did.
Poland was the ONLY occupied country, where assisting a Jew in any way, resulted in an automatic death sentence for that person and their entire family.
And yet regularly you heard the term "Polish Death Camps".
We all should admit that the Polish foreign policy an the eve of the war was far from desired but it doesn’t justify the German and Soviet wrongdoing in any sense.
And more importantly all of this was long time ago, the people who did it are long gone and all the apologizes are told long time ago.
To base modern policies on these grievances is not right.
What? Trying to ensure their own survival? The nerve!
Katyn was a horrible atrocity but to link it to Warsaw uprising is more than far-fetched.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.