Posted on 02/18/2015 10:48:06 AM PST by GeronL
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stirred controversy after paying tribute to a monument complex to Soviet soldiers killed in Hungary during the suppression of the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising.
Hungary's law states that the present day freedom ‘blossomed' out of that uprising also known as the ‘1956 revolution' and anyone ‘justifying the crimes committed by the communist system is to be punished'. This means that Putin's commemoration of the soldiers violates Hungarian law.
Despite government officials denying that Putin laid a wreath at the monument specifically commemorating Soviet invaders, an advance of the itinerary of Putin's visit said that he would lay a wreath at the memorial for the Soviet soldiers who died fighting the ‘counter-revolution of 1956'.
Putin was met with demonstrations on his first visit to a European Union country since last year's WWII ceremonies in Normandy.
Several thousand people marched through central Budapest, on Monday in protest. They said they were angry to see their Prime Minister Viktor Orban seeking closer ties with Russia instead of inching closer to its EU partners.
Putin shows his true colors.
In just about every conflict, there are solders serving on the wrong side, but they still deserve honor.
bingo
I agree. Your enemy on the battlefield might actually be a magnificent guy.
On the other hand, it would be bad form for the Japanese Emperor to go to Nanking and honor Japanese soldiers who raped Nanking.
Or Reagan to go to Bitburg.
Not even remotely the same.
Is this monument in Hungary? If so, why have the Hungarians not razed it in the last 25 years? The Soviets didn’t hesitate to bulldoze German graves on their territory after WWII.
What a dumbass.
Do most people in Russia seriously look back on that event and feel proud?
Awful
In nearly all cases, soldiers are the victims of politicians. No politician should pass a memorial to any soldiers, or any side, without showing respect. Will Putin visit a memorial to the other side of that fight? A fine example was seen here in this country after the civil war. As president, US Grant was very respectful of the fallen southerners, and those who served the south and survived. Survivors of both sides at Gettysburg had a reunion decades later, complete with a reenactment of Picketts charge. Only this time the arriving southerners were met with handshakes and cool drinks. Soldiers are nearly never to be blamed.
But anyway, the trip was filled with trade deals and agreements. Hungary is getting a Russian gas deal from the new Turkish pipeline after they appeared to really get hit by the demise of the EU south stream project. That’s a giant development.
But all we are reading is about the protocol and dog and pony show events in public.
Perhaps Hungary could prove its outrage by uniting with the former subject countries and push Putin the hell out of Ukraine, since the POTUS won’t be doing anything but talking.
An insult to Hungary and all Hungarians.
Is Hungary the next to be Invaded ?
“In just about every conflict, there are solders serving on the wrong side,”
True.
“but they still deserve honor.”
In just about every conflict, there are solders serving on the wrong side, but they still deserve honor.
Not always. Plenty of Nazis and Japs were sadistic monsters. The muslim savages take dishonor to a new low.
does Angela Merkel lay a wreath to honor the SS and the death camp guards??
They were hit hard a few months by the cancellation of the south stream after the EU regulatory change. The Russians came and gave them a deal for gas out of the Russo/Turkish pipeline.
That’s going to put Hungary in the catbird seat for distributing Gas to the EU.
Its probably why they aren’t feeling insulted and aren’t organizing an eastern European invasion into Ukraine, so Ukraine can get that gas pipeline traffic.
If Hungary plays it straight and doesn’t steal gas like the Ukrainians did, they’ll become wealthy out of this. Good middleman position.
savagely attacking a country that did not attack you is not a “conflict” it is a brutal massacre.
Could Be.
What’s next — a monument to the Russian “heros” of their 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia?
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