Putin Confirms, There’s No Statute of Limitations on Nazi Crimes

Jan. 27, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—In a meeting with Russian Jewish leaders yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that there is no statute of limitations on Nazi crimes. “The majority of Jews killed by the Nazis were Soviet citizens, and we share this pain. ... We are strongly against consigning crimes of this kind to oblivion, since crimes like this have no statute of limitations. We hold this policy to make sure that nothing like this ever happens to humankind again,” the President told his guests.

Putin’s meeting with leaders of the Jewish community was timed to coincide with Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked on January 27, the day the Red Army liberated the largest of Nazi death camps, Auschwitz, in 1945. “I am aware of the position of the Jewish community of Russia and the position of the State of Israel regarding the role and importance of the Red Army in defeating Nazism and fascism. We highly appreciate this, but to reiterate, this matter is of particular importance for our people,” Putin continued.

“We know that Jewish organizations around the world are supportive of the work we are doing. ... Unfortunately, many countries use various pretexts to avoid participating in joint efforts in this important area. We will continue to pursue this work regardless of the ongoing political developments,” Putin stressed. Russia, however, was excluded from this year’s annual commemoration ceremony at Auschwitz.

“You are also aware that the investigating authorities and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation continue to deploy serious efforts trying to identify crimes of this type committed against any citizens of the former Soviet Union, regardless of their ethnic origin. Without a doubt, this work is a major contribution to the efforts seeking to bring to light the crimes committed by the Nazis against the Jews as well,”

Putin emphasized.

Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, who had participated in the Jan. 26 meeting with Putin, blasted the exclusion of Russia from the commemoration ceremony. “It’s not the first time, unfortunately, that Russia hasn’t been invited to Oswiecim [Auschwitz]. It’s definitely a humiliation for us because we know and remember perfectly well the role of the Red Army in the liberation of Oswiecim, the victory over Nazism,” he said after a ceremony dedicated to International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. “For our people, the role of Russia, the Soviet Union was decisive at the time. There’s surely no place for these political games on Holocaust [Remembrance] Day,” he said.

The UN General Assembly took the decision in 2005, to mark Jan. 27 of each year, the anniversary of the Red Army liberation of Auschwitz, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.