Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations at the special solemn meeting of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War

Mr. President,

Five years have passed since the General Assembly convened last time to commemorate the end of the most terrible war in the history of mankind and honour the memory of its victims. The world has witnessed a lot in these years, but grandeur and tragedy of those events have not faded away and prompt us to pay tribute to those who at the cost of countless losses and untold sorrow prevented the world from submerging into hatred and pain.

We would like to begin our statement with the words of welcome and gratitude to veterans who, as five years ago, have once again joined us in this Hall. They are the most important participants of all the jubilee celebrations. There are about two hundred thousand veterans of that War living in Russia. Like their brothers in arms in other countries they deserve our most sincere appreciation, warmest attention and support.

Mr. President,

A long four-year struggle of the Soviet people against Nazism made the decisive contribution towards the common Victory of the countries of the Anti-Hitlerite coalition. Three quarters of the Nazi forces were crushed at the Eastern Front. The whole world was watching the development of this epic combat with unflagging attention and hope. Its key milestones are well-known. It is the Battle of Moscow – the first significant defeat of the Nazis. The Battle of Stalingrad that marked a turning point of the war. These battles were the bloodiest ones in the world history: total losses of both sides in each of them exceeded 2 mln people. The Battle of Kursk the largest tank clash in history. It involved around 2 mln people, 
6,000 tanks and nearly 5,000 aircraft. After this Battle the outcome of the war was virtually predetermined.

In March 1944, the Red Army reached the USSR border, and on 
November 1, 1944, the entire country was liberated. Still the enemy had not been defeated. And the goal set by leaders of the Anti-Hitlerite coalition to achieve the unconditional surrender still had to be met.

The Soviet troops had yet to fight for the liberation of many countries of Europe occupied by the Nazis. Many lives of Soviet soldiers were yet to be sacrificed for the Victory. Over 600,000 of warriors lie in Polish land, 140,000 – in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia, almost the same number of soldiers – in Hungary, around 70,000 – in Romania, 26,000 – in Austria. Bloody battles broke out on the outskirts of Berlin. As we all know, in total over 20 mln citizens of the multinational Soviet Union gave their lives for the Victory over Nazism.

On May 2, 1945, Sergeants Yegorov and Kantaria hoisted the Banner of Victory over the Reichstag. The Victory that would not have been possible without the heroism of the participants of many other battles, large and small; without courage and fortitude of defenders and residents of besieged Leningrad; without heroic struggle of partisans in the occupied territories; without self-sacrifice and hard work of those who forged the Victory at the home front.

Speaking about the Victory we commemorate the valour of the Anti-Hitlerite coalition soldiers, the brotherhood in arms and the unprecedented cooperation of the Allies. A long time prior to the opening of the Second Front in Europe, the Arctic convoys began to sail, delivering much needed goods from the United Kingdom and the US to the northern ports of the USSR. Well-known is the story of the French Air Force squadron Normandie-Niemen established in 1942 in the USSR, that took part in the Battle of Kursk, the Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation, battles in East Prussia.

The memory of these and other heroic examples of our joint struggle is alive. It is for a reason that some streets in Russian cities are named after the Arctic convoys and the Normandie-Niemen Regiment, whereas Stalingrad gave its name to streets and squares in France, Belgium, Italy and other countries.

The encounter of the Soviet and the American soldiers at the Elbe has become emblematic of the joint struggle and common victory.

Of particular value was the contribution to the common cause of antifascists as they found strength to defend their ideals in the face of mortal danger.

The war did not confine itself to Europe. The struggle in the East was fierce, inflicting tremendous losses upon China and a number of other countries. The Second World War continued there up to September 1945. We must not forget about the battles on the African continent as well.

In other words, the war swept over the whole world. Hostilities spread across 40 countries. Many States, though not directly attacked, joined the struggle. It is no wonder as the stakes were too high. Nazis intended not only to expand their living space; their design was to lead the humanity down the horrifying path, unprecedented in its violence. Reading the horrendous Nazi documents makes one realize that it was not simply hatred towards other peoples, but cold-blooded and hard-headed evil. Fascists consistently implemented the theory of racial superiority in practice. Having started by adopting discriminatory laws and imposing xenophobic ideology, they publicly declared that an objective of their policy was to exterminate entire ethnic groups, i.e. the Jews, the Roma, the Slavs. In pursuit of this goal the Nazis established across Europe a whole network of concentration camps where they applied unthinkably brutal technologies of murder. The Auschwitz death camp liberated by the Soviet soldiers serves as an ominous symbol of the misanthropic core of Nazism.

Nothing but the Victory, the 70th anniversary of which is being widely celebrated these very days in Russia and other countries, could put an end to that infinite violence.

Mr. President,

It seems obvious that the historic importance of the Victory over fascism does not tolerate opportunistic political hustle. No matter how the political and diplomatic twists at the turn of the 1930s-1940s are interpreted, the following course of events drew a distinct line between the forces of good and evil. They are the Anti-Hitlerite coalition and the Axis Powers. This distinction became the bedrock of the UN Charter and the of judgments of the Nuremberg Tribunal. Those who are trying today to justify or even glorify Nazi collaborators are unable to revise the incontestable verdict of history. It is for a reason that such practice has been condemned ten times by the relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.

Mr. President,

In our perception, the end of the Second World War is closely linked with the creation of the United Nations, which became the center of the new system of international relations. The term “United Nations” itself emerged in the course of the Second World War, as that is what the countries of the Anti-Hitlerite coalition called themselves. The past decades revealed that this system is not ideal. Nevertheless, it managed to save the world from a new global catastrophe, provide States with a platform and instruments for equitable dialogue on the most topical issues and for dispute settlement. Our duty is to revere and preserve these gains. Too high was the price paid for them, too much is at stake for succeeding generations.

Thank you.