23 August is a special day for historic events in Europe. The European Day of Remembrance, also known as Black Ribbon Day, honours(opens in a new tab) the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes.
On 23 August 1939(opens in a new tab), the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany concluded the so-called Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact(opens in a new tab) with its Secret Supplementary Protocol(opens in a new tab) that carved up Central and Eastern Europe into spheres of control between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Days later, on 1 September 1939, the Second World War began in Europe.
Persistent attempts, both in the USSR and in present-day Russia, have tried to deny the Pact’s Protocol. When forced to recognise its existence, the Kremlin diminishes or relativises its importance by saying that almost everybody had a pact of non-aggression. Well, not everybody sliced up Europe into ‘spheres of influence’, disregarding other national sovereign governments.
Putin and the Pact
In recent years, Putin has prominently resurrected the Pact(opens in a new tab) and praised its geopolitical value. In fact, it allowed the USSR and Nazi Germany to help each other. Putin omits saying that as pact-partners(opens in a new tab), the two countries exchanged vital material support, fueling the destruction of Europe for 22 of the 68 months of war (almost two years or one-third of the time). The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact included a credit agreement(opens in a new tab) between Germany and Soviet Russia, cooperation on trade(opens in a new tab), military technology and cultural exchange. It even provided for USSR sending Jews to Nazi Germany.
Outrageous claims of historical revisionism have surfaced in Russian state and other pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets. We have examined in detail the many attempts to play ping-pong with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact or manipulate it so nobody remembers what is up and down.
Currently, our EUvsDisinfo Database has 265 cases with examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation where the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact plays a key role or is a reference. Some of the outrageous claims are: ‘The Secret protocol never existed’, ‘The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is not an “unusual” document’, ‘Poland and the West forced the USSR to sign a Pact with Nazi Germany’, and ‘In 1940, the Baltic States asked to be incorporated into the USSR’. Putin even claims that ‘Hitler offered Poland peace and a treaty of friendship and alliance’ but ‘Poland pushed Hitler too far by attacking’ or ‘Poland started World War II’.
23 August has gained a new dark relevance with Russia attempting the annihilation of independent Ukraine and developing authoritarian rule at home.
Freedom from totalitarianism and authoritarianism is not a given. Don’t be deceived.
On 23 August 1939(opens in a new tab), the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany concluded the so-called Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact(opens in a new tab) with its Secret Supplementary Protocol(opens in a new tab) that carved up Central and Eastern Europe into spheres of control between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Days later, on 1 September 1939, the Second World War began in Europe.
Persistent attempts, both in the USSR and in present-day Russia, have tried to deny the Pact’s Protocol. When forced to recognise its existence, the Kremlin diminishes or relativises its importance by saying that almost everybody had a pact of non-aggression. Well, not everybody sliced up Europe into ‘spheres of influence’, disregarding other national sovereign governments.
Putin and the Pact
In recent years, Putin has prominently resurrected the Pact(opens in a new tab) and praised its geopolitical value. In fact, it allowed the USSR and Nazi Germany to help each other. Putin omits saying that as pact-partners(opens in a new tab), the two countries exchanged vital material support, fueling the destruction of Europe for 22 of the 68 months of war (almost two years or one-third of the time). The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact included a credit agreement(opens in a new tab) between Germany and Soviet Russia, cooperation on trade(opens in a new tab), military technology and cultural exchange. It even provided for USSR sending Jews to Nazi Germany.
Outrageous claims of historical revisionism have surfaced in Russian state and other pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets. We have examined in detail the many attempts to play ping-pong with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact or manipulate it so nobody remembers what is up and down.
Currently, our EUvsDisinfo Database has 265 cases with examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation where the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact plays a key role or is a reference. Some of the outrageous claims are: ‘The Secret protocol never existed’, ‘The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is not an “unusual” document’, ‘Poland and the West forced the USSR to sign a Pact with Nazi Germany’, and ‘In 1940, the Baltic States asked to be incorporated into the USSR’. Putin even claims that ‘Hitler offered Poland peace and a treaty of friendship and alliance’ but ‘Poland pushed Hitler too far by attacking’ or ‘Poland started World War II’.
23 August has gained a new dark relevance with Russia attempting the annihilation of independent Ukraine and developing authoritarian rule at home.
Freedom from totalitarianism and authoritarianism is not a given. Don’t be deceived.
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