MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2020) Moscow is outraged by the statement of German Ambassador to Lithuania Matthias Sonn, who said that the goal of the liberation of Germany from Nazism by the Red Army was to impose a repressive rule, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
In October, Vilnius opened the Water Carrier sculpture created by late sculptor Romualdas Quintas and inspired by the work of Jewish poet Moshe Kulbak. Sonn is reported to have uttered his remarks at the opening ceremony.
"We are outraged by the speech of the German ambassador," Zakharova said at a briefing.
The spokeswoman added that Russia qualifies the words from the high-ranking German diplomat, inspired by nationalist sentiments in Lithuania, as a provocation.
Zakharova also said that Russia expected an explanation from the German side and hoped that official Berlin would distance itself from such personal statements by its diplomats.
According to the spokeswoman, recently the ideas of equating the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany are being promoted more and more actively in Germany.
In recent years, there have been calls to cast a different light on the events of the Second World War and its aftermath, as some, including Poland and the Baltic countries, try to minimize the Soviet Union's efforts against Nazi Germany, portraying Moscow as one of the malicious actors in the conflict on par with Berlin.
