World War II tragedy became possible due to condoning of fascist ideology, major countries' disunity - Putin
MOSCOW. May 9 (Interfax) - The tragedy of the Second World War could not be prevented due to condoning of the criminal ideology of racial supremacy and the disunity of major countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"We must remember that the victory was achieved by means of enormous, irreparable sacrifices, that the war had cost millions of lives. This awful tragedy could not be prevented, primarily, because of condoning of the criminal ideology of racial supremacy, and due to the disunity of major countries," Putin said in his speech at the Victory Day Parade.
It allowed Nazis "to appropriate the right to decide the fate of other people, start the most violent, bloodiest war, enslave and put almost all European countries at the service of their deadly objectives," Putin said.
The most powerful strikes were delivered at the Soviet Union. "But there was never a power capable of conquering our people, there is none, and there will never be the one. Our people defended their native land to death," the president said.
"We will never forget that it were our fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers who won back Europe's freedom and the long-awaited peace on the planet," he said.
"Our people turned the bloody wheel of the Second World War back and drove the enemy back to the place, where they had dared to come to our land, smashed Nazism and ended its acts of atrocity," the president said.
All Soviet citizens, common solders and marshals, home front workers and partisans, old people and children, people of various ethnicities and occupations, went though unthinkable trials of the Second World War with bravery and infinite endurance, Putin said.
"[They] worked in factories and hospitals sleeplessly and tirelessly, burned it tanks, were freezing in trenches, drowned while crossing rivers, covered front-line comrades with their bodes, launched offensives and understood that this fight could be the last one for them, died without learning about the victory, having done the best they could for it," he said.
