We always hear that Russia does not want to deal with crimes in its past leading to the restoration of bullying and military aggression we see today. Such an account is often focused only on internal Soviet acts: forcible pioneering, the great fear in the 1930s, the Galakan system etc. Some of these things are recognized that crimes, but no attempts are made to prevent the perpetrators. Russian’s Democrats in Russia are generally opposed to transitional justice.
However, the more sensitive Soviet political sensitive is almost always with no discussion. And Russian failure to resolve this specific crime is more risky and affects the fate of many countries.
That crime is the Soviet occupation of the center and east EuropeThat lasted several decades and resulted in many dead and arrested, the destruction of social and cultural life and the refusal of freedom. Injustice is very large.
Internal Soviet crimes, unpunished, at least recognized legally recognized and celebrated their victims. Outward violence and occupation is not. Although Russian dials and liberals are never able to escape the increase in issue.
This is the reason, involving central and eastern Europe, there are two concepts of memory and history that can usually be united, contradict each other. They really contradict; They cannot restore diplomacy: Soviet libration against the Soviet job.
When the Soviet troops have finally left from the eastern and central Europe 45 years after the end of the Second World War that real liberty came and the Soviet countries were destroyed and occupied the nations found. But it is easier to restore or establish in view and freedom rather than reaching the sovereignty in history.
The progressive image of Soviet Union in its final days, the high hopelessness of time, Moscow protected from severe criticism and accusations related to covering Eastern Europe. This restraint is the result of a departure of confidence in but the most important Moscow protection that is pleased is, based on the situation that won Nazism.
Russia, as stated by the USSR’s self-esteem, establishing the international political profile of moral territories is a debt to their “liberty” from Nazism.
Yes, Soviet losses are real. And even true sadness that these losses helped to bind the nations that have longed for freedom, replacing a dictatorship of another. Soviet Soldion, the statues still remembering the European scene from Berlin to Sofia, not a rescue. He is an ensalaver. And there is no amount of bloodshed to the Soviets to defeat the Nazis that can ignore the Soviets’s own role as occupants.
It is not an accident that the Soviets reluctantly identify even the existence of the Molotov-Ribbentensop Pact. In modern Russia, making any cohesion between the roles of the USSR and the Nazi criminals. In 1939 and 1940, the Soviet Union was occupied LithuaniaLatvia and Estonia, and parts of Poland, Finland and Romania. For 22 months it was a faithful ally in Nazi Germany. This first wave of Soviet jobs cannot set as a “struggle against Nazism”: It reveals the true purpose of the Soviets. Followed, is, in fact, a geographically expanded reaccupation. This is a different goal of the war, no need to be connected to one to defeat the Nazis.
Unfortunately, the Soviet occupation was known as a crime that was not an important part of modern European history. It is the limited geography of the east, separated, is not represented enough; It produces the histories of individual countries but it does not form a strong international narrative shared by the continent. Despite this understanding there is a great deal of modern European life and European security key. If you fully understand the violence and consequences of Soviet occupation you understand the concerns of Russian nearest neighbors, their historical warned and they need to be safe.
Ukrainian east regions are currently occupied by Russian troops. For the first time since 1989, large areas of the European continent, home to millions of people, are under an invading situation. But it seems that the Europeans have so much forgotten what the occupation means.
Russian citizenship is pressed. In fact, it is a mass program of deportation, because those who disagree will be kept as foreigners and forced to leave. Russia seeks the same way as USSR did, for example, relating to the states of Baltic, seeking to Russify The conquered region, which changes the national composition and made it a part of its state.
Properties are torn and distributed. “Settlers” were taken to form the backdrop of the occupation regime. The politics of the memory disappears, the monuments that mark the Soviet crimes, the streets are given to their Soviet names as a symbol of Russian dominance. It’s all about an attack on national identity, an attempt to erase it.
Russian security services use filters, and anyone who is considered politically unreliable can be imprisoned. Severe torture and aggravation of the air is widespread. Ukrainian prisoners in war released from captivity reporting the same Torture, abuse and deliberate malnutrition refers to violate them physically and mentally.
Anyone who knows the history behind Iron Cortina has met the pattern immediately. It’s all a broken truth for Poland and Lithuania, East Germany and Romania and others. The deportation of the masses, the cruel rule of secret police, deprivation of civil possessions and rights … but it does not turn into a real stigma for USSR or, later, Russia. It did not turn into an object in which a country was embarrassed, something that begged justice and punishment, recognition and atonement.
And this is where we Now: the occupier back. And the occupants of war is like the Soviets did.
Vladimir Putin’s Army has a terrible advantage of western armies, which is well invested in maintaining their personnel without injury. It can continue to lose unacceptable to any western country. But it is also technical advanced enough to tailor western military technologies.
Western science is the first of the “dronise” war, to minimize involvement of land troops and used machines for new tasks. Putin’s army, while also used real drones, also very well with people. It turns soldiers who don’t fail, units used.
With full Russia invasion We have entered during the world’s moral change. Like an earthquake may have a worldwide refers, or a volcanic eruption may pollute the skies above many continents, political aggression changes around the world.
This is another true, but never fully aware, the war is a result. This is probably the widest part of all results. With thousands of troops sent the battlefield and killed the Ukrainians who defended themselves, the Ukrainian territories were unable to obtain, he filled the sorry for voters in relativism.
What can it do about it?
Western and South-Western Europe, who have not faced the reality of the Soviet job, should now listen to the voices of those who have experienced them first.
It is difficult to say whether Russia is responsible for its crimes against Ukraine anytime soon. But building a future, a true future, it may be important to develop a cultural concept and historical count of Russia’s test to be divided and rule.
In the Václav Hasel initiative, Joachim Gauck and other prominent former discoments, 23 August, the date of molotov-ribbentrop gathering for stalinism victims and Nazismor black day at the ribbon. Understanding the importance of this day can and has to deepen a broad view of Russian imperialism, which is part of the Soviet Communist policy but has not done it.
We have to make this day the focus of a long and political coordination of recall, to strengthen existing institutions such as Enrs – the The recollection of European network and solidaritywhich includes most of the Eastern European countries. We also have to build newcomers, across the continents, counting the left-handed and right accounts that continue to make excuses for Russia.
USSR collapses because artificial unity is carried out by violence and bullying. EU endurance depends on maintaining voluntary unity. But unity is not given. It is a product of each other’s knowledge and compassion, of many cultural bridges that connect with humans.
It’s time to start building.
This article is adapted from the writer’s closure of the author of Helsinki debate is Europe18 May 2025. It was published in collaboration with Voxeurop.
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