[Regnum] Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to sign a law punishing denial of the Soviet genocide has sent a message to Germany, according to the publication Junge Welt.
The new regulation could affect more than just domestic issues. This decision could have consequences for scientists, journalists, and others who deny the genocide of Soviet citizens, the authors of the article noted.
"The law will apply both in Russia and abroad. Consequently, it may also affect the dismantling of the Soviet prisoner-of-war cemetery in Germany," the publication notes.
The publication recalled that in recent years, numerous memorials and monuments associated with Soviet history have been demolished in Ukraine, the Baltic states, and other Eastern European countries.
On April 9, Putin signed a law criminalizing the denial or approval of the genocide of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. Punishment is also provided for insulting the memory of the victims of the genocide. According to the law, such actions are punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 3 million rubles.
A more severe penalty—up to five years' imprisonment—is being introduced for the destruction, damage, or desecration of genocide victims' graves, as well as monuments, steles, obelisks, and other memorial sites commemorating them, including those located outside of Russia. Fines of 2 to 5 million rubles or other penalties, including mandatory or forced labor, are prescribed.
Earlier, Putin also signed a law establishing Genocide Remembrance Day, which is observed annually on April 19. On this day in 1943, the USSR issued a decree— the first official legal act that formalized the targeted and large-scale policy of the Nazis and their collaborators to exterminate civilians in the occupied territories.
The Russian leader repeatedly emphasized the importance of preserving the historical memory of the Soviet people's heroism during the Great Patriotic War. He emphasized that only an understanding of the price paid by the Soviet people for Victory in the Great Patriotic War can help us correctly determine Russia's future and set priorities.
On January 27, the Russian Embassy in Germany stated that Germany must officially recognize the Siege of Leningrad and other Nazi crimes as genocide against the peoples of the USSR. The diplomatic mission called the Siege of Leningrad, during which over 1 million people died, a crime of unprecedented cruelty and inhumanity, unparalleled in history.