On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany began the attack on the Soviet Union with “Operation Barbarossa”. From day one, the fascist aggressors terrified the civilian population in this war of predation and extermination. War and occupation killed 27 million citizens of diverse nationalities on Soviet Union territory alone.
Heinz Bierbaum, the president of the European Left declares:
“Today we commemorate the victims of ‘Operation Barbarossa’. For us on the left it means a clear commitment to never again war and never again fascism. However, the current global situation is tense, and we are reverting to Cold War-era patterns. With maneuvers like ‘Defender 2020,’ it is becoming shockingly clear that a front against Russia is being rebuilt. Russia is being portrayed as the West’s new great enemy. Instead of a new Cold War and escalation, we need a policy of détente that must lead to concrete nuclear and conventional disarmament initiatives. Instead of more investments in the military and rising levels of military spending to 2% of the GDP according to NATO guidelines, we need NATO and the EU to promote global disarmament. We need to learn from history and seek institutional partnership with Russia, working together on a security system that includes our eastern neighbour.”
Originally published at the website of the Party of the European Left (22/6/2021)