Russian Ambassador Sergey Andreev has sparked a massive firestorm of criticism after stating in an interview on Friday that Poland, one of the countries that was hit hardest during World War II, was partly responsible for the outbreak of the war. Andreev further added fuel to the fire by stating that the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 was not an act of aggression, but an act of self-defense, according to Fox News.
"Polish policy led to the disaster in September 1939, because during the 1930s Poland repeatedly blocked the formation of a coalition against Hitler's Germany. Poland was therefore partly responsible for the disaster which then took place," Andreev said.
Poland's Foreign Ministry has reacted negatively to Andreev's statement, rebutting on Saturday that the ambassador "undermines historical truth" and seems to be trying to justify Stalinist crimes during the Second World War, according to The International Business Times.
"The narrative presented by the highest official representative of the Russian state in Poland undermines the historical truth and reflects the most hypocritical interpretation of the events known from the Stalinist and communist years," the ministry rebutted.
Poland was subject to two consecutive invasions during a three-week period in 1939, first suffering from an invasion by Nazi Germany from the west, then getting besieged by the Soviet Union army from the east soon after. Unbeknownst to Poland, Germany and the Soviet Union had previously struck a deal to carve up the Baltic nation and the surrounding nations between themselves, reports The Daily Mail.
Approximately six million Poles were killed during the war, with about three million of them being Jews. The total number of casualties comprised about one-sixths of Poland's total population.
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