Russophobic ideas are being actively promoted within the bloc, Sergey Shoigu has said
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu chairs a meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow, Russia. © Sputnik / Vadim Savitskii
Calls to ban Russian citizens from entering the EU, now being pushed by some of the bloc’s member states, are reminiscent of “Nazi policies,” Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Saturday.
“We are now witnessing another vivid manifestation of Nazi policies: speaking from high podiums, [European officials] are actively promoting the Russophobic idea of barring all Russian citizens from entering EU countries,” he told the plenary session of the First International Anti-Fascist Congress, which is part of the ‘Army-22’ international military technology forum.
Shoigu also expressed alarm that the results of the Nuremberg trials detailing crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis are being reassessed in a number of countries, especially in the Baltic region.
“SS legionnaires’ marches have become a tradition in Estonia and Latvia; monuments and obelisks are being erected in honor of war criminals. Nazi slogans are openly proclaimed in the streets of Lithuanian cities,” he said.
The defense minister recalled that fascist regimes came to power in many European countries in the 1930s, including Germany, where the Nazi ideology proved to be the most radical and expansionist form of fascism. He also underlined that international capital was instrumental in Nazis’ ascent to power.
“It is abundantly clear that the financial and economic cooperation between the Anglo-American and Nazi business circles was one of the main factors that led to the Second World War,” Shoigu said, adding that the Soviet Union was the country that had borne the brunt of Nazi aggression.
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On this point, the minister noted that “history lessons had been poorly learned by those who rely on their own strength and commit violence.”
“The bombing campaign on Yugoslavia, the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, cultivating terrorist structures in Syria – specific authors and actors always stand behind all these and similar crimes. The responsibility for such actions and their consequences rests entirely on the leadership of the United States and NATO,” he stated.
Shoigu’s comments followed a decision by the Estonian government on Tuesday to remove several Soviet-era war memorials in Ida-Viru County, including a historic T-34 tank in the provincial capital of Narva. This monument has been a flash point for tensions between Estonia’s nationalistic government and the city’s Russian community.
Many Tallinn officials view Soviet memorials as a reminder of a historical period that they consider to have been an occupation, while others see them as a symbol of the sacrifices made during World War II and the victory over Nazi Germany.
Estonia recently barred most Russian citizens with Schengen visas issued by the Baltic nation from entering the country, while Finland announced this week that it would be cutting the number of entry visas available to Russians by half.
