(en) Dr.Sergey Biryukov I 

ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT VICTORY: NOT SMART REFLECTIONS AGAINST MODERN POLITICAL DEBATES.              Today the whole world celebrates the 65th anniversary of end of the Second World War. On September, 2nd, 1945 onboard a battleship "Missouri" in Tokyo by representatives of Japan in the presence of delegations of the USSR and the USA have signed the act of unconditional surrender. This day is considered an official date of end of the Second World War.       This war began on September 1, 1939 with attack of Germany to Poland. 62 countries have took in military operations, fights inflamed in territory of three parts of the World. Ten thousand settlements were ruined, 55 million persons were lost.

The main  results of the Second World War, as it is known, have been defined in agreements of the leading countries of an Anti-Hitlerite coalition at the Teheran, Yalta and Potsdam international conferences. During them the unconditional surrender of fascist Germany and the victory of the countries of Anti-Hitlerite coalition were fixed. Hitlerite Germany was recognized as the instigator, an aggressor, the originator of the Second World War, and all SS- formations and all Nazi organizations were accused of being criminal. Firmness of results of the Second World War and the established borders between the states has been confirmed also by the Helsinki Agreements in 1975.

Destruction of a Nazi regime and liberation of the fascist slavery of many people and the countries became the main result of the Second World War. This war became a lesson for many, having shown vulnerability of the World Order, having induced leading world powers to cooperation and creation of system of the international institutes, called to solve disputable political problems.

However not all politicians and the countries agree today with similar result of the Second World War, trying to revalue the results of the Second World War and the bases which have developed on their basis of a World Order connected with political gears of the Yalta-Potsdam system. One by one politicians attempts to revalue its results, the role and the contribution of Soviet Union to a general victory on fascism.

Example to that is coming to power in countries of Western Europe of the neo-Nazis openly declaring sympathies for the Third Reich, its social and economic policy and to other "priorities", similarly «Freedom Party» nowadays dead Jorg Hajder in Austria. In turn, in countries of Eastern Europe often come to power political forces and persons, which in the tactical purposes achieving of equating of the Third Reich and the USSR (that basically is immoral, considering a role of Soviet Union in creation of the Anti-Hitlerite coalition and in liberation of these countries). So, for example, the former president of Ukraine V.Jushchenko, echoing some East Europe politicians, in interview to the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, has put the USSR on the same level with a Hitlerite Reich and as a matter of fact named Soviet Union «an aggressor»: «The Second World War in Europe was caused by two totalitarian regims, which wanted to divide among themselves our continent: communistic and Nazi, Stalin and Hitler, and this cooperation has kindled a fire which has led to September 1939, 1st and 17th».

Deputies of the Lvov regional Council recently solved to follow to appeals of the former Ukrainian president. So, in May 2010 the Lvov regional members of parliament have decided to forbid using of the term "the Great Patriotic War" concerning the events of the Second World War occurring in territory of Ukraine. Instead of that, the authority of Lvov region have decided annually to mark in area territory on May, 8-9^th the Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the World War II.

Deputies of the Lvov City Council also confirmed the decision on hangout a National flag with a black mourning tape on a Victory Day on May, 9th. Later this decision has been appealed against by Office of Public Prosecutor, but suit proceeds to this day.

As consequence, the Nazi parties start to be formed in such suffered from fascism and brought the considerable contribution to the Victory the Post-Soviet states, as the Ukraine. An example to that is the official activity in Ukraine ultranationalist party «Svoboda», which leaders Tjagnybok, Farion, Ilenko and others propagandize a policy in the spirit of «national exclusiveness» and full refusal of elements of the "Soviet" and "Russian" heritage. And it is not casual that one of leading ideologists of the party, the deputy of Lvov City Council Mihalchishin practically doesn't hide his pro-Nazi belief and sympathies.

Openly revive and become famous Stepan Bandera’s army, SS formations and other Nazi organizations which battled during the Second World War on the fascist Germany part. The literature rehabilitating Nazi leaders and their henchmen is published and distributed. Practically beneath our eyes there is a rehabilitation of the fascist helpers operating in days of the Second World War in the states of Baltic – Aizsargs, Shutzmans, fighters of "Kaitseliit" and others, that roughly breaks decisions of the Nuremberg Trial concerning activity of Nazis and their helpers in the various states during the Second World War. They destroy the monuments to Soldiers-Liberators as it happens with a monument to «the Bronze Soldier» in Tallinn.

The ideological and political virus has infected also some European politicians. Recently OSCE Parliamentary Assembly accepts the resolution that equates Nazism and Stalinism. The European Parliament proposed to declare the August 23, that is day of signing of the Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact, the all-European Day in Memory of Victims of Stalinism and Nazism. The Russian delegation has voted against this resolution which radically reconsiders results of the Second World War and The Helsinki Final Act by which decision it has been created OSCE. Process of reconsidering of post-war history and the policy thereby gains in strength.

The massed liberation from «the Soviet heritage» in some countries of Eastern Europe leads to a resuscitating of some frankly nationalist and chauvinistic projects, one only public discussion of which is capable to provoke intensity in relations between neighboring countries. However they feel behind the back support from the North Atlantic Alliance. But whether Washington and Bruxelles take into account the content of the current projects of some of the proteges? There is a persistent impression that occurring in some East Europe countries revision of results of the Second World War leads to a celebration of frankly "explosive" ideas and projects. However, occurrence of similar projects looks not surprising, because a policy and ideology don't suffer emptiness and as a result of "rewriting" the history of the World War II come to life the political ideas, discarded in the archives due to the defeat of the Third Reich and its allies.

One of such projects is the project the Great Hungary. In today's Hungary on sale there are maps on which the territory of present Republic of Hungary and the earth, sawn-off from it after defeat in the First World War «by grabbling hands» of Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia. Such T-Shirt designs are very popular among the Hungarian youth inspired with idea of «Great Hungary of 64 jupans».

Confuses ties of the project «Great Hungary» with a heritage of a Horthy regime – the true satellite of the Third Reich which participated in the Second World War on the part of Nazis, expecting to have some territorial acquisitions at the expense of territories of Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. We will remind, what exactly admiral Horthy was the active supporter of «Great Hungary» idea and gave it in days of the Second World War the official status in this  state. The Hungarian fascists from association «Crossed arrows» Salashi supported the idea of«Great Hungary» too. In modern conditions of «Desovetisation» of the Eastern Europe and the revision of results of the Second World War geopolitical revanchism in Hungary is directly closed with nationalist revanchism that allows us to speak about forming the preconditions for neo-fascism «under supervision» the NATO and some institutes of EU. And the revanchist idea finds in some countries of the Eastern Europe her ardent adherents and continuers.

So, in a modern situation the reconstruction of the project «Great Hungary» has support from such extremely nationalist organization, as « Hungarian Justice and Life Party » of István Csurka. This Party has considerable influence on the Hungarian policy. Strong natsional-revanchist character is peculiar to it: it supports returning of Hungary the territory belonging to it before II World War of the earths. Having lost with the minimum distance the elections of April, 2006 of a left-centrist coalition, V. Orban's party enjoy confidence of about half of Hungarian voters.

In the conditions of increasing in Hungary "the Right" and "revanchist" moods the Hungarian authorities undertake also practical steps for realization of project "Great Hungary". So, on January, 1st, 2011 in Hungary took effect the new legislation, that granting of the second Hungarian citizenship, essentially simplifying procedure of reception of citizenship of this country to representatives of diaspora. This initiative directly mentions the Subcarpathian region of Ukraine, where under the official Ukrainian data compactly lives more than 150 thousand Hungarians. Before the First World War the Subcarpathian region belonged to Austro-Hungary, which in this war suffered defeat. Moreover, on November, 18th in the Hungarian parliament the public meeting of the special parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission organized the discussion of problems of the Hungarian national minorities in East Europe, where the state secretary on Foreign Affairs of Hungary Jolt Nemet has declared the necessity of autonomies for Hungarians living in Transylvania, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine. As the East Europe experts believe, declaring similar claims, Hungarian government aspires to become the regional leader not only in the Subcarpathian region, but also in general in the Central Europe. Already mentioned project of "Great Hungary" - distribution of its influence on regions, where representatives of the Hungarian diaspora compactly live: Southern Slovakia, Transylvania (Romania), Vojvodina (Serbia) and the Subcarpathian region. Thus, so-called «Fight for the Potissky valley», actually declared by present in Budapest, is conducted with the increasing activity.

let us recall that the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes that the program of strengthening ethnic boundaries around Hungary should cover the five million Hungarians outside the country. Here it would be necessary to notice that Budapest overestimate of the data on Hungarians in diaspora: in particular, it is considered to be that in Romania lives to 2,5 million citizens of the Hungarian origin (Romanian use the data in 1,7 million); for the Subcarpathian region the figure reaches 400 thousand Hungarians, and in Slovakia Hungarians have from 150 thousand to 600 thousand compatriots. And what they can wait from Ukraine? While an official position of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning it hasn't published. But they should, in view of that on the western borders of Ukraine statehood bases are diluted, and the power of other state directly breaks the Ukrainian legislation which doesn't provide a dual citizenship. As it is represented, remaining «pro-atlantist» orientation of official Kiev in foreign policy in any way doesn't promote the constructive regulation of a developing situation for expansion concerning its territories is carried out by NATO member state.

As the East Europe experts believe, in a similar situation the operating Ukrainian government needs to use the Rusinian factor. Nowadays because of the strange inertial policy of Kiev which has remained since «Оrange times», Kyev struggle with Rusinians. Though all of them are legislative citizens of Ukraine. And that they don't want to be reconciled with a violent Ukrainization in galichian versions is already a problem of the strategists from Kiev.

One of such projects is the project of creation of «Great Romania», actively advanced by present head of the Romanian state Trajan Besesku. We should remind that pro-fascist Marshal Antonesku and the leader of the Romanian fascists from the organization «Iron guards» captain Korneliu Zelja Kodrjanu, becoming "famous" by bloody crimes and ethnic cleanings, were confounder of «the Great Romania project». In modern conditions "heritage" of Antonesku and Kodrjanu is so interesting for some Romanian politicians.

In the Romania national-radical positions are occupied with Vadim Tudora's party Kornelija «Great Romania», adhering to the Antieuropean positions and rigidly resisting to expansion of the Rights of National Minorities. On presidential election in 2000 its leader has received 33 % of voices, having taken the second place, and its party on parliamentary elections of 2000 has received 19,6 % of voices that gave to it about a quarter of mandates in parliament. «Great Romania» by quantity of mandates became the force second for a consequence in both chambers of the Romanian parliament. On elections 2005 and 2006 it, truth, has cut percent of the support almost by half. On parliamentary elections of 2008 the party has received only 3,15 % of voices and hasn't broken a five-percentage barrier. However the polls «Great Romania» have today sympathies approximately 37 % the Romanian.

Thus the race from «Great Romania» has successfully accepted the incumbent president of Romania Trajan Besesku who shocked the Romanian and European political public with a number of frankly provocative geopolitical initiatives. So, on November, 30th 2010 in interview to the Romanian edition «Romania Libera», Besesku has declared that in 25 years EU border will pass across Dnestr River, and Bessarabia will unite with Romania within the limits of EU. "EU border will be established across Dnestr, and democratic development will serve in region as stimulus and for other countries - such as Ukraine - to integrate in EU", - the Romanian leader has declared. At this Besesku has declared that Romania feels discomfort from staying of the Russian armies in Dnestr region and the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in Sevastopol. "If Russia so friendly looks at the Black Sea region, why she have such big fleet in such small sea?" - «The Bucharest dreamer» has declared. Besesku has confirmed, that Romania makes a claims for modern territories Odessa region and Bukovina, that is capable to provoke the scale conflict already in the near future.

It is significant that Besesku which is not recognizing the sovereignty and borders of Moldova as «a product of the Pact of Ribbentrop-Molotov», also has supported joining of Moldova to Romania … without Dnestr region, believing that the new border between Romania and Ukraine will pass across Dnestr River. Ideas of Antonesku, Kodrjanu and others «heroes» and ideologists of royal and profascist Romania have found the worthy continuer in the modern Romania.

These chauvinistic and adventurous "geopolitical" initiatives unexpectedly have found the ardent adherents … in Kishinev, which is one of the main objects of planned expansion of «Great Romania» supporters and ideologists. In due time, former acting president Mihai Gimpu tried to cut "Moldovan knot", formally announcing the Moldovans "Romanians" and called for an early merger with Romania in a single state within the EU and NATO. Simultaneously Gimpu has supported reconsideration of the Soviet period of history of his country, having refused to visit the Victory Parade on May, 9th, 2010 in Moscow as the representative of "the lost country», that is Romania. in conclusion he demanded an immediate withdrawal of the Russian peace-making contingent from Dnestr region that in practice threatened of a new inevitable opposition between Kishinev and Tiraspol. However all these ardent aspirations have been suddenly disavowed by the statements, that have sounded from Bucharest.

With the scandalous and provocative statement for revision of post-war borders and occurrence of "Bessarabia" in structure of the Romanian state Besesku has shown Gimpu will to abolish the Moldavian sovereignty. In plans of ideologists of «Great Romania» from Bucharest to Kishinev "enthusiasts" of this idea of Moldavian statehood simply doesn't remain places. However, on last elections the block, headed by Gimpu the "eurointegrator", has conceded Parties of Communist Party of Vladimir Voronin, most consistently defending the sovereignty of Moldova both its more flexible orientation in Forein Affairs, and supporting normalization of relations with Russia. The political situation in Moldova after elections remains suspended and ambiguous that demands from politicians of this country of suspension and wisdom, instead of revanchism and fanaticism.

By the same token revanchist geopolitical imaginations of some modern politicians from Bucharest and Kishinev far aren't harmless. Are the politicians in Washington and Bruxelles ready to incur responsibility for adventures of some national leaders, which enjoy of their support, having engaged in «a responsibility zone» of EU and OTAN ? This is a discussion on Questions without an answer that forces to reflect the correctness of «pro-atlantist» vector of a policy for the Post-Soviet states.

At the same time the results of parliamentary elections in Moldova, in our opinion, demonstrated that the unilateral course of this Post-Soviet state on Romania, the European Union and the NATO can lead to strain of relations between Kishinev and Tiraspol, and to possible division of territory of Moldova across the Dnestr between Romania and the Ukraine (by the referendum procedure). Is it what the majority of citizens of Moldova want today? As the results of last elections in Moldova show, moods in the Moldavian society differ from the wishes of Gimpu, Filat and other pro-romanian politicians.

Fortunately, the attempts of similar revision of history of the majority of the Post-Soviet states don't bring any results and can't change the relation of ordinary citizens to the Great Patriotic War and its results. The proof is recent poll in the Ukraine. The national research «65 years of the Great Victory. Ukrainians’ attitude to the Second World War» was being made from April, 13 till April, 22nd, 2010 like a method of personal interview (2076 respondents) in 24 regions of the Ukraine and in Crimea.

According to the poll data, the majority of inhabitants of the Ukraine (83 %) intend to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. About 92 % of respondents in the southeast of the Ukraine, 90 % of inhabitants of the center of the country and 58 % of the population of the western region of Ukraine told about their intention to celebrate the anniversary.

The majority of Ukrainians (88 %) consider the Victory Day as a great holiday. 87 % of inhabitants of the country think that this holiday should be celebrated by every citizen, 11 % consider that the holiday is only for veterans. Besides, the majority of respondents (89 %), have said that in the Ukraine it is necessary to spend the parades devoted to the 65 anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

All these facts allow to draw certain conclusions with  political character.

Whatever Stalin's sins it was told about, including those about unreasonable repressions in the pre-war years, anyway, the role of the Soviet Union shouldn’t be belittled. It was Soviet Union that defeated German fascism and Japanese militarism. In case of a victory of fascism Europe and all mankind would be laid back for many decades, during the epoch of a celebration of is archaic-destructive thinking and the antihumanistic policy that underlined many outstanding thinkers-humanists of the XX-th century.

It is wrongful to put on the same place Stalin and Hitler, fascist soldiers and soldiers of the Soviet army, soldiers of the USA, Great Britain, China, Yugoslavia, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the guerrilla and fighters of antifascist movement of Germany, France, Belgium, Norway who struggled with Nazism and liberated of their countries. Among them there were people of various political convictions, but all of them were united by a common position of non-acceptance of Nazism. Also it is wrong to identify the Spanish people with a Franko regime or the Lithuanian people with dictatorship of Smetona. It is necessary to distinguish people who supported a Nazi regime, and those who destroyed this regime and brought the freedom to the peoples. All democratic transformations of the recent years and the new political situation in Europe became possible as a result of internal changes in Russia.

In turn, rehabilitation of Nazism in some of the states already in short-term prospect can involve of nationalism, chauvinism and intolerance as a result. Is it necessary to the states of  CIS or the Eastern Europe, passing through the difficult period of political, social and economic transformations? It’s not so, if they want to follow a way of stable democratic development and to find the steady status in Europe and in mutual relations with Russia. Moreover, it is not necessary to create a new state ideology to present the fanatics, executioners and frank fascist helpers as «heroes of the nation». Really, who sows a wind – that will reap a storm.

Actually, it appears that Russia should show suspension and delicacy in an estimation of the historical Past, avoiding an excessive ideologizing, feeling the line between historical truth and work for the public.

It seems such attitude will allow us to be worthy of the memories of those, whose courage and feats achieved the Great Victory of 9, May 1945.