Russia Demands Germany Recognize the Siege of Leningrad as an Act of Genocide

Russia has officially demanded that Germany recognize the siege of Leningrad as an act of genocide against the peoples of the USSR, along with other crimes committed by the Third Reich. The relevant note has been made available to TASS.

“The Russian side acknowledges the contradictory nature of the German approach regarding the official recognition of the acts of genocide committed by Germany against humanity in the past. While recognizing its crimes during the colonial era as acts of genocide, Germany has yet to address the siege of Leningrad during World War II and other crimes against the peoples of the USSR,” the document states. The Russian side insists that Germany should officially recognize these atrocities committed by the Third Reich as acts of genocide.

The note also highlights the statement made by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the 80th anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad on January 27, 2024. “The Ministry’s statement <...> does not mention the long-standing Russian demands to extend the humanitarian payments made exclusively to Jewish survivors of the siege to all living survivors of the blockade. The Russian side views this practice by the German side as ethnic discrimination,” the text continues.

It is further emphasized that Berlin's references to purported resolutions achieved through post-World War II compensation payments are “absolutely unacceptable and unconvincing.” “There can fundamentally be no legal connection between post-war compensations and the restoration of human justice regarding all the blockades, regardless of the victims’ nationality. The long-promised but yet unfulfilled 'humanitarian gesture' by the German government towards the survivors of the siege of Leningrad is incomparable to the scale of the tragedy in Leningrad,” the note explains.

The document also notes Germany's “immoral” logic, which has “regularly provided social benefits for decades to former soldiers of the Third Reich, SS members, and collaborators of the Nazi regime.”

“Such an approach calls into question the sincerity of the German side's statements regarding Germany's historical responsibility for the horrific crimes of the Nazi regime in the Soviet Union, including the siege of Leningrad, which the Russian side considers acts of genocide against the peoples of the Soviet Union. The Russian side will continue to steadfastly defend the rights of the victims of Nazi crimes and expects a substantive response from the German side,” the note concludes.