Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday denounced attempts to "revise" World War II history in a call with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Moscow gears up to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
"It was noted that the two countries were determined to defend the truth about the events of World War II, to counter attempts to revise its outcome and falsify history," the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will address a grand military parade in Moscow on Friday -- Victory Day -- evoking the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II to rally support for his troops fighting in Ukraine.
"The memory of the heroes of the war, those who gave their lives for the victory, is sacred in both Russia and Israel, where May 9 is also a public holiday," the Kremlin said.
Donald Trump had last week asserted that the United States contributed the most to allied victory in World War II -- claims that drew ire in Russia.
The Kremlin said Tuesday that Putin had emphasized in the call "the decisive contribution of the Red Army and the entire Soviet people to the defeat of Nazism."
World War II, officially remembered in Russia as the "Great Patriotic War," had a devastating impact on the Soviet Union, resulting in more than 20 million civilian and military deaths.
Throughout his rule, Putin has tapped into this national trauma, making May 9 Russia's most important public holiday and championing his army as defenders against fascism.
Putin has also repeatedly said Russia is fighting a "Nazi regime" in Ukraine and used it as a pretext for his three-year offensive that has killed tens of thousands.
AFP
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