In the Russian and foreign media published an article by Vladimir Putin “75 years of Victory: a shared responsibility before history and the future”. In it the Russian President, based on unique archival documents, examines the causes and lessons of world war II. Especially those, which some contemporary politicians or persistently ignores, denies, or cynically trying to justify the Nazi collaborators and to lay the blame for the war on our country.

“We all need truth and objectivity,” writes Vladimir Putin, speaking on the 75th anniversary of the Victory to the Russian and Western audience.

the Written article is the result of his personal long-term work with historical documents that clearly show, whose actions in Europe made the disaster inevitable.

“of Course, the main thing that determined the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind is a state of selfishness, cowardice, pandering to the gaining strength of the aggressor, the unwillingness of political elites to compromise, writes the President of Russia in his analysis of the prewar situation. — Therefore, unfair to say that a two-day visit to Moscow, the Nazi foreign Minister Ribbentrop Pact — the main causes of the Second world war. All the leading countries in varying degrees, have their share of the blame for its beginning. Each made a fatal mistake, presumptuous thinking that you can outsmart others to secure a unilateral advantage or to stay away from the looming world of trouble.”

Background of the Second world war, Putin said, need to look at what conditions ended the First. In 1919 was signed the Treaty of Versailles.

the documentary evidence of the time President in December 2019 started to introduce their colleagues — the heads of the CIS countries that also oppose the attempts to distort the historical truth.

“For Germany the Treaty of Versailles became a symbol of profound injustice and NATonalnogo humiliation. In fact, it was about the robbery of Germany, — said Putin. — Germany had to pay the Entente astronomical for those times the amount of 269 billion gold marks, which is approximately equivalent to 100 thousand tons of gold. The so-called “spirit of Versailles” created a breeding ground for radical and vindictive sentiments. The Nazis exploited the theme of Versailles in his propaganda, promising to deliver Germany from the national disgrace, and the West with his own hands gave the Nazis carte Blanche for revenge. For reference, I can say that the author of the French victory in the Second world war, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, French military leader, described the results of the Treaty of Versailles: at the time he uttered the remarkable prophecy, said, “This is not peace, but armistice for 20 years”.

After coming to power, Hitler promised to restore the former power and pushed the German people into a new war. Paradoxically, this, — Putin wrote in the article, either directly or indirectly contributed to the Western States, primarily the United Kingdom and the United States. Their financial and industry actively invested capital in the German factories producing military products. Your tasks along with the Nazis tried to solve Warsaw.

“In the partition of Czechoslovakia together with Germany acted and Poland. They advance together and decide who gets what of the Czechoslovak lands. September 20, 1938, the Polish Ambassador to Germany J. Lipsky said the Minister of foreign Affairs of Poland Yu Beck on the following representations of Hitler: “in the case between Poland and Czechoslovakia it comes to conflict on the basis of Polish interests in téchiné, the Reich will be at our [Polish] side,” reminded Putin.

the Agreement with Hitler was secured on 28 September 1938 in the Munich agreement, which was attended by Britain, France, Italy.

“Today, the European policy and, above all, Polish leaders would "to hush up” the Munich. Why? – the article asks a rhetorical question Putin. — Not only because their country then betrayed their commitments, supported the Munich agreement, and some even took part in the spoils. But because it is inconvenient to remember that in those dramatic days of 1938, only the Soviet Union stood up for Czechoslovakia.”

And in the spring of 1945 the Soviet Union liberated from the Nazis Czechoslovakia, losing in killed and wounded half a million people. Prague was liberated by Marshal Ivan Konev, whose monument in the Czech city authorities this year have demolished.

And those who collaborated with the Nazis in Europe today equate to veterans of the Second world war.

“Directly and unambiguously, the Nuremberg Tribunal condemned Nazi collaborators, collaborators of various stripes, writes in his article the President of Russia. — This shameful phenomenon took place in all the States of Europe. These “leaders”, like Petain, Quisling, Vlasov, Bandera, their henchmen and followers, though dressed in the clothes of the fighters for national independence or freedom from communism are traitors and torturers. It is their bloody hands — executions of Babi Yar, Volyn massacre, burned Khatyn, shares the destruction of the Jews in Lithuania and Latvia”.

the Soviet Union to the last I tried to use any chance to create anti-Hitler coalition, despite the apparently duplicitous stance of the West. After all, in the line of intelligence, writes Vladimir Putin in the article, the Soviet leadership received detailed information about the secret Anglo-German contacts in the summer of 1939, and the tripartite negotiations of Britain, France and the Soviet Union deliberately delayed. In the article, Putin refers to the specific document.

“This is the instruction of the British military mission which arrived in Moscow in August 1939. It is explicitly stated that the delegation should “negotiate very slowly”; that “the United Kingdom government is not prepared to take on CEthe BOJ detailed obligations that can limit our freedom of action in any circumstances”, — quotes Putin extracts from British documents.

the President says that unlike many of the then leaders of Europe Stalin was not mired in personal meeting with Hitler, who was known in Western circles quite a respectable politician and was a welcome guest in European capitals.

“We don’t know whether there was any “secret protocols” and annexes to the agreements number of countries with the Nazis. All that remains is “word for it”. In particular, has still not declassified materials about the secret Anglo-German negotiations. Therefore we call upon all States to intensify the process of opening its archives, the publication of previously unknown documents of the prewar and war periods, as does Russia in recent years” — called Vladimir Putin.

In the article, the President first results collected from archival sources terrible, and is not a complete casualty figures during the fighting for Rzhev and the Rzhev salient. From October 1941 to March 1943, the Red Army lost in here, including the wounded and missing, 1 million 342 thousand 888 people. Millions of Soviet citizens fell during the liberation of Europe, the saving role of the red army in those years was recognized throughout the world.

“Truman, the new U.S. President: “We deeply appreciate the great contribution made by the mighty Soviet Union in the cause of civilization and liberty. You have demonstrated the ability of freedom-loving and extremely brave of the people to crush the evil forces of barbarism matter how powerful they were”. We would like to our colleagues in the West in General and Europe in particular, had this in mind, noted in his speech in December 2019 in Saint-Petersburg the President of Russia. — If you don’t want to listen to us, let listen to the respected leaders of their countries who understand what they’re saying and know etand events are not hearsay.”

The wisdom demonstrated by the leaders of the victorious countries during the creation of the postwar world at Yalta expect today from modern heads of state.

In his article, Vladimir Putin said that the leaders of China, France, the US and the UK supported the initiative of Russia to hold a meeting of leaders of the five nuclear-weapon States — permanent members of the UN security Council to openly talk about countering new global threats and maintaining peace.