Disinfo: Lithuania was a direct beneficiary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Summary

Before the European Parliament starts equalising Stalinism and Nazism, it would have been a good idea to get things sorted out with the Nazism as such. Why is the resolution only condemning German Nazism? Why isn’t it compared with, for instance, Nazism in the Baltic states: Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian. The resolution was initiated by representatives of Lithuania, which brings the manipulation of facts to an entirely new level. Remember: as a result of the division of Poland, Lithuania got a sizable piece of its territory – the Vilnius area. If the non-aggression pact between USSR and Germany, also known as the Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact, as was a criminal act; Lithuania was a direct beneficiary of this crime, performed 80 years ago.

Disproof

This message is part of the Kremlin’s policy of historical revisionism – it tries to promote the idea that there was no Soviet occupation of the Baltic states and that the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact did not cause the division of East and Central Europe between the USSR and Nazi Germany, causing WWII. See similar cases on the Baltic states and the Soviet occupation here and here. In a statement, the Press Office of the European Parliament elaborates on the resolution, mentioned in the claim:

MEPs voice concern at the efforts of the current Russian leadership to whitewash crimes committed by the Soviet totalitarian regime and see them as a “dangerous component of the information war waged against democratic Europe”. They also condemn extremist and xenophobic political forces and organisations in Europe for distorting historical facts, and employing the symbolism and rhetoric of totalitarian propaganda, including racism, anti-Semitism and hatred towards sexual and other minorities.

Full text of the resolution can be found here.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 165
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23/09/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Latvia
  • Keywords: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, European Parliament, Historical revisionism, European Union, Baltic states, Nazi/Fascist
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