The site museum justifies this exclusion of commemorations by the Russian “aggression” against a free and independent Ukraine “. The Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau had been released by the Red Army on January 27, 1945.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
Russia will not be represented at the celebrations of the 78
“Given the assault against a free and independent Ukraine, representatives of the Russian Federation were not invited to participate in the birthday celebration of the Auschwitz Liberation of this year” which must take place this Friday, told the France-Presse agency, Piotr Sawicki, museum spokesperson.
The death camp had been released by the Red Army on January 27, 1945. Until now, Russia had always participated in the ceremonies which are held each year on January 27, its representative speaking during the main ceremony.
The invasion of Ukraine, an “barbarism act”
According to the director of the museum, Piotr Cywinski, it was obvious that he could not “sign any letter to the Russian ambassador in the tone of an invitation”, in the context of the conflict.
“I hope it will change in the future, but we have a long way to go. (…) Russia will need extremely long time and very deep introspection after this conflict to come back In the salons of the civilized world, “he said, quoted by the agency Pap.
On the day of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, the museum described the Russian attack as “barbarism”. “This act of barbarism will be judged by history, and its authors – it must be hoped for – by the International Court of Justice,” wrote the museum on Twitter.
Built in occupied Poland, Auschwitz-Birkenau is the symbol of the genocide perpetrated by Nazi Germany against six million European Jews. One million Jews were killed in the camp between 1940 and 1945. Some 80,000 Polish not Jewish, 25,000 Roma and 20,000 Soviet soldiers also died there.