Friday, 30 October 2009
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that attempts to justify repressions during the Stalinist regime under the pretext of ultimate state interests were unacceptable.
Speaking in his video blog ahead of the Day commemorating the victims of political repression, which Russia marks on October 30, Medvedev said:
"Millions of people [in the Soviet Union] have died as a result of terror and false accusations...But we are still hearing that these enormous sacrifices could be justified by certain ultimate interests of the state. I am convinced that neither the goals of the development of the country, nor its successes or ambitions should be achieved through human suffering and losses."
"Nothing is more sacred than a human life. And repressions cannot be justified," he said.
The president expressed concern over the fact that the Russian youth have poor knowledge about the tragic events in the country's past, which led to practical extermination of the whole layers of the Russian society.
"It is important to prevent any attempts to vindicate, under the pretext of restoring historical justice, those who destroyed their own people," Medvedev said.
The president believes that the Russian citizens should accept their country's past as it is, and fight the urge to forget its dark moments.
"I am convinced that the memory of our national tragedies is as sacred as the memory of our victories. And it is very important that our young people be able to have an emotional response to one of the most tragic events in the Russian history," Medvedev said.
"Without the knowledge of the complicated and controversial history of our country we often cannot comprehend the causes of problems and difficulties that Russia experiences today," the president said, adding that it is the task of the current generation to pass on the true historical knowledge to the future generations of Russian citizens.
