Crimes of the Nazis and their henchmen do not have a statute of limitations, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the "Pobeda" Organizing Committee.
"Two days ago, you know, a memorial to a Soviet soldier was opened near Rzhev. Pre-war Rzhev had more than 56 thousand citizens, and when the city was liberated, there were only about 300 people left in it. When the Nazis left, they simply killed people, the civilian population. According to their plans, the Nazis were preparing to colonize the lands of the Soviet Union, and all who lived here - Slavs, people of other nationalities-were going to be killed or turn into slaves, to deprive them of their language and culture. And these crimes of the Nazis and their henchmen-genocide against the peoples of the Soviet Union-do not have a statute of limitations," Putin said.
Such an assessment, he said, "should be unshakeable in our legislation and in the system of international law."
"I ask my colleagues from the relevant departments to think about this and work constantly in this direction, including developing the principles laid down in the constitutional amendments," Putin said.
Putin called Victory Day Russia's main holiday
Victory day, as the Russian leader stressed, is the main holiday for Russia, which took place this year, despite all obstacles.
"As you know, not everything that was planned was put into practice, but the main holiday of our country, in spite of everything, took place," Putin said, referring to the events for the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic war.
"On a sacred day for all of us, May 9, we honored veterans and remembered our relatives and friends," Putin continued. "And on June 24, the anniversary of the legendary Victory day parade, the great-grandsons of the liberation soldiers from different countries of the world marched through Red square and through the streets of our cities."
Putin expressed his sincere gratitude to all those who participated in the preparation and holding of the anniversary events, as well as implemented meaningful projects aimed primarily at veterans. "And of course, I want to thank the citizens of the country, participants of voluntary associations, who have helped veterans and older people during these difficult months and weeks. Such care and participation were irreplaceable, " the President stressed.
The head of state called it encouraging that "more and more caring and responsible young people are choosing to volunteer, including actively participating in programs related to preserving the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic war." "The number of those who devote themselves to search activities and take care of military graves is constantly growing," Putin said.
He added that a huge audience was also gathered by actions on the Internet, for example, the project "Flag Bearers of Victory". "Traditionally, there are many young people among the participants of the "Immortal regiment" people's March," Putin continued, recalling that this year it was held only in an online format, with about 3 million questionnaires of veterans placed in the interactive "Heroes ' Feed", and "continuous video transmission of their names and photos lasted for 20 days".
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from RIA Novosti, TASS