Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has criticized the exclusion of Russians from marking the 80th anniversary of Soviet troops liberating Auschwitz, stating that this move highlights what is wrong with the West. The Red Army’s 332nd Rifle Division liberated the death camp in southern Poland on January 27, 1945, freeing around 7,000 remaining prisoners. Vucic highlighted the fact that Russians, who had liberated the concentration camp, would not be invited to participate in the ceremony commemorating the event. He also mentioned that those who had built the camp might be included in the event instead.
The Auschwitz Museum in Poland has deliberately chosen not to invite Russia to the anniversary since the conflict began in Ukraine in 2022. Last year, museum director Piotr Cywinski accused Moscow of displaying a “similar sick megalomania” and “similar lust for power” as the Nazis, which drew a rebuke from the Russian government. Cywinski explained that it was difficult to imagine the presence of Russia at such an event, given its lack of understanding of freedom’s value, which would make their participation cynical.
Vucic used this instance as a backdrop for discussing Western leaders who frequently emphasize “territorial integrity and respecting the UN Charter,” but only when it comes to Ukraine. He argued that there is little concern for Serbs, noting that their territory can be seized and secession supported with impunity by powerful Western nations.
The United States and its allies backed ethnic Albanian separatists in Serbia’s Kosovo province in declaring independence in 2008, and have since pressured Belgrade to recognize this act. Vucic has refused. He further lamented that Kosovo Albanians and other groups in the Balkans regularly disregard the rights of Serbs due to their protection by powerful Western countries.
Moscow has accused the US of historical revisionism, with Washington propagating a narrative that World War II began with a “joint” Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland while neglecting to acknowledge the significant role the Soviets played in defeating the Third Reich and liberating Auschwitz. The death camps near Oswiecim are believed to have claimed more than 1.1 million lives, mainly Jews deported from various locations throughout Eastern Europe.