USSR Did Not Invade Poland in 1939

[henryk]

http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/2692 ... uote]‘USSR did not invade Poland in 1939’ court ruling upheld
Polish Radio External Service 02.09.2016 15:17

Russia’s Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of Perm blogger Vladimir Luzgin for reposting a text which states that both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland in 1939.

Soviet parade in Lwów (then a part of Poland) in 1939. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Supreme Court’s ruling came on 1 September, 2016, the 77th anniversary of Hitler’s invasion of Poland, 17 days before the anniversary of the Soviet invasion from the east.

Henry Reznik, a well-known lawyer who was representing Luzgin, commented that the Supreme Court has discredited itself through this ruling and promised to appeal further. He added that an application to the European Court of Human Rights was simply demanded.

As reported here, 37-year-old Vladimir Luzgin was convicted in July this year by the Perm District Court and fined 200,000 roubles. The charge was under Article 354.1 of Russia’s criminal code (‘rehabilitation of Nazism’) and concerned Luzgin’s repost of a text on his VKontakte social network page entitled “15 facts about Bandera supporters, or what the Kremlin is silent about”.

It may be no accident that the ‘offending text’ should be Ukrainian, and fairly nationalist, however it was specifically over the following paragraph in the repost that the criminal proceedings against Luzgin were initiated:

“The communists and Germany jointly invaded Poland, sparking off the Second World War. That is, communism and Nazism closely collaborated, yet for some reason they blame Bandera who was in a German concentration camp for declaring Ukrainian independence”.

Russia’s Supreme Court has now agreed that this paragraph constitutes “the public denial of the Nuremberg Trials and circulation of false information about the activities of the USSR during the years of the Second World War”.

It is hard to know what is most shocking in all of this. A prime contender must be Alexander Vertinsky, dean of the History Faculty of the Perm Humanitarian-Pedagogical University. He proved willing to appear for the prosecution and claim that the paragraph really did contain “statements that do not correspond with the position accepted at international level”.

There are also two Russian courts willing to agree that since the Nuremberg Trials did not mention the Soviet invasion, the information was “knowingly false”. With the Soviet Union as one of the victors exerting considerable influence at Nuremberg, it was highly unlikely that Soviet collaboration with the Nazis and its invasion would get a mention.

The rulings are extraordinarily cynical. Whatever was said at Nuremberg, any genuine historian will confirm that the Soviet Union invaded what was then Poland on 17 September, 1939.

To deny this is absurd when the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its secret protocols which carved up Poland between the Soviet Union and Germany have long been in the public domain, and can be read about in any history book.

Perhaps the most chilling aspect of this is that the Perm “historian”, the courts, the prosecutor are doubtless well aware of the historical facts. Luzgin has more than likely been prosecuted for revealing inconvenient facts, and the Russian prosecutor, courts, as well as a historian have all proven complicit in this cynical travesty.

The bill outlawing something dubbed ‘rehabilitation of Nazism’ has been in force since May 2014. It claims to be aimed at opposing the glorification of Nazism and distortion of historical memory. The renowned Sova Centre disagrees and believes its aim is to prohibit historical discussion. It's application in this case has flouted provable historical fact.

In parallel with its military aggression against Ukraine, the Kremlin has been trying to reinstate the Soviet narrative about the Second World War in which details of the first almost 2 years during which the Soviet Union was Hitler’s ally are blurred, and the collaboration justified.

At a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on May 10, 2015, Putin defended the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, claiming that the Soviet Union was being left to face Hitler’s Germany by itself. Russia’s culture minister Vladimir Medinsky called the pact a "colossal achievement of Stalin’s diplomacy."

Then on 20 September, 2015, Russia’s ambassador to Venezuela Vladimir Zayemsky claimed that the Soviet Union did not invade Poland on 17 September, 1939 and that it was in fact Poland, not the USSR, that collaborated with Nazi Germany. He wrote that “the alleged invasion by Soviet forces of Poland in 1939 is a lie” and went on to claim that although Poland was the first victim of WWII, it tried to be “Hitler’s faithful ally” in the period before the War.

“It was Warsaw’s pro-fascist stand which made a treaty of cooperation between the USSR, Czechoslovakia and France impossible”, he alleged. The same offensive attempts to rewrite history were presented by Russia’s ambassador to Poland Sergey Andreyev a few days later, speaking on Polish television.

Andreyev claimed that the Soviet invasion on 17 September had not been an act of aggression, but a defensive act to ensure the security of the USSR.

This is exactly the narrative that the Kremlin has been pushing to try to justify Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea.

This is an article which first appeared on the website of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group written by Halya Coynash.
[/quote]

[Stiltzkin]

Thats old news actually, they tried to deny those facts (also by entiteling everyone as "pro fascist") and to find an "official" explanation, but the ammendments of the prewar treaties and Moltov-Ribbentrop pact cannot be overseen. For the USSR, the war did not start in 41.

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/nazsov.asp

[Art]

As usual journalists had heard some hearsay and didn't investigate a case in any details. The guy actually reposted a text which claims that "Communists and Germany had jointly attacked Poland on 1 September 1939 thus starting a Word War II". Which is simply a nonsense. The text in question is available in Russian here:
http://365news.biz/news/analitika/2938- ... kreml.html
From a quick glance it is an atrocious read written by a half-ignorant layman for 100% ignorant laymen, the sort one can find in abundance in social networks. While I don't support prosecuting people for anything historically related I simply do not see how it can contribute to valuable historical discussion.

[Stiltzkin]

Which is simply a nonsense

"Poland was the first country to be occupied by the Soviet Union during World War II. The secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact stipulated Poland to be split between Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.[10] In 1939, the total area of Polish territories occupied by the Soviet Union (including the area given to Lithuania and annexed in 1940 during the formation of Lithuanian SSR), was 201,015 square kilometres, with a population of 13.299 million, of which 5.274 million were ethnic Poles and 1.109 million were Jews"

"Soviet diplomacy had lied that they were "protecting the Ukrainian and Belarusian minorities of eastern Poland since the Polish government had abandoned the country and the Polish state ceased to exist"

Not on 1st September but on 17th, capturing the retreating armies. The Bolsheviks lost the war in the 20s, it was obvious that they would return, with Hitler as their useful "ally".

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/addsepro.asp

Territorial gains prior to 41: Illegal annexation of the Baltics, Karelia, Bessarabia and Bukovina.

The Soviet Union was no saint (just look up the Battle of Grodno). I am surprised people are still discussing this considering the Soviet-German pacts are available public (it is well known that Hitler and Stalin divided eastern europe to their liking before waging war with each other, Stalins list of enemies: France, Finland, Poland, Japan).

The article may be a bit "overprovacative" but the existing political climate in Russia surely surpresses such historical processing.

[Art]

Again the statement was:

Communists and Germany had jointly attacked Poland on 1 September 1939 thus starting a Word War II

It is a nonsense by any rate. The date is essential. Soviet Army entry into Poland on 17 September couldn't start the World War II simply because the war was already going for two weeks. Neither it lead to de facto state of war or any military hostilities between SU and Western Allies.
As I said the article "15 facts..." is a junk full of factual errors, yet it is a folly to prosecuting people for posting whatever junk as long it doesn't involve a call for violence.
As for "freedom of historical discussion" I believe Europeans should address their domestic situation first (holocaust denial laws etc) before lecturing others, fight now their position looks rather hypocritical and expose double standards. It is not a secret that Russian law-makers in their "denial of Nuremberg trial proceedings" effort were inspired by European and first of all German practice.

[John T]

Again the statement was:

Communists and Germany had jointly attacked Poland on 1 September 1939 thus starting a Word War II

It is a nonsense by any rate. The date is essential.

Was the German attack on Poland on 1 September 1939 a consequence of the Moltov-Ribbentrop pact?
Was the Soviet attack on Poland two weeks later not a consequence of the Moltov-Ribbentrop pact?

The essential fact to me, is that the two attacks on Poland where premeditated.

/John T

[henryk]

The source article:
http://khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1472775460

Russia’s Supreme Court rules that the USSR did not invade Poland in 1939
02.09.16 | Halya Coynash (Human Rights in Ukraine)

Russia’s Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of Perm blogger Vladimir Luzgin for reposting a text which states that both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland in 1939. The Supreme Court’s ruling came on September 1, 2016, the 77th anniversary of Hitler’s invasion of Poland, 17 days before the anniversary of the Soviet invasion from the east.

Henry Reznik, the well-known lawyer who was representing Luzgin, commented that the Supreme Court has discredited itself through this ruling and promised to appeal further. He added that an application to the European Court of Human Rights was simply demanded.

As reported here, 37-year-old Vladimir Luzgin was convicted in July this year by the Perm District Court and fined 200 thousand roubles. The charge was under Article 354.1 of Russia’s criminal code (‘rehabilitation of Nazism’) and concerned Luzgin’s repost of a text on his VKontakte social network page entitled ’15 facts about Bandera supporters, or what the Kremlin is silent about’.

It is probably no accident that the ‘offending text’ should be Ukrainian, and fairly nationalist, however it was specifically over the following paragraph in the repost that the criminal proceedings against Luzgin were initiated:

“The communists and Germany jointly invaded Poland, sparking off the Second World War. That is, communism and Nazism closely collaborated, yet for some reason they blame Bandera who was in a German concentration camp for declaring Ukrainian independence”.

Russia’s Supreme Court has now agreed that this paragraph constitutes “the public denial of the Nuremberg Trials and circulation of false information about the activities of the USSR during the years of the Second World War”.

It is hard to know what is most shocking in all of this. A prime contender must be Alexander Vertinsky, dean of the History Faculty of the Perm Humanitarian-Pedagogical University. He proved willing to appear for the prosecution and claim that the paragraph really did contain “statements that do not correspond with the position accepted at international level”.

There are also two Russian courts willing to agree that since the Nuremberg Trials did not mention the Soviet invasion, the information was ‘knowingly false’. With the Soviet Union as one of the victors exerting considerable influence at Nuremberg, it was highly unlikely that Soviet collaboration with the Nazis and its invasion would get a mention.

The rulings are extraordinarily cynical. Whatever was said at Nuremberg, any genuine historian will confirm that the Soviet Union invaded what was then Poland on September 17, 1939.

To deny this is absurd when the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its secret protocols which carved up Poland between the Soviet Union and Germany have long been in the public domain, and can be read about in any history book.

Perhaps the most chilling aspect of this is that the Perm ‘historian’, the courts, the prosecutor are doubtless well aware of the historical facts. Luzgin has more than likely been prosecuted for revealing inconvenient facts, and the Russian prosecutor, courts, as well as a historian have all proven complicit in this cynical travesty.

The bill outlawing something dubbed ‘rehabilitation of Nazism’ has been in force since May 2014. It claims to be aimed at opposing the glorification of Nazism and distortion of historical memory. The renowned Sova Centre disagrees and believes its aim is to prohibit historical discussion. It’s application in this case has flouted provable historical fact.

In parallel with its military aggression against Ukraine, the Kremlin has been trying to reinstate the Soviet narrative about the Second World War in which details of the first almost 2 years during which the Soviet Union was Hitler’s ally are blurred, and the collaboration justified.

At a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on May 10, 2015, Putin defended the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, claiming that the Soviet Union was being left to face Hitler’s Germany by itself. Russia’s culture minister Vladimir Medinsky called the pact a "colossal achievement of Stalin’s diplomacy."

Then on September 20, 2015, Russia’s ambassador to Venezuela Vladimir Zayemsky claimed that the Soviet Union did not invade Poland on Sept 17, 1939 and that it was in fact Poland, not the USSR, that collaborated with Nazi Germany. He wrote that “the alleged invasion by Soviet forces of Poland in 1939 is a lie” and went on to claim that although Poland was the first victim of WWII, it tried to be “Hitler’s faithful ally” in the period before the War. “It was Warsaw’s pro-fascist stand which made a treaty of cooperation between the USSR, Czechoslovakia and France impossible”, he alleged. The same offensive attempts to rewrite history were presented by Russia’s ambassador to Poland Sergey Andreyev a few days later, speaking on Polish television.

Andreyev claimed that the Soviet invasion on September 17 had not been an act of aggression, but a defensive act to ensure the security of the USSR.

This is exactly the narrative that the Kremlin has been pushing to try to justify Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea.

[Art]

Was the German attack on Poland on 1 September 1939 a consequence of the Moltov-Ribbentrop pact?

Since preparation started long before MRP - not exactly (in a sense that it was an absolutely necessary condition).

Was the Soviet attack on Poland two weeks later not a consequence of the Moltov-Ribbentrop pact?

Consequence, but not a necessary one (in a sense that it could happen and could not depending on development).
In any case that doesn't fix errors of original article.

[henryk]

The article sanctioned by the Russian Supreme Court (Google translation):
http://saracinua.livejournal.com/2147939.html

15 facts about "Bandera", OR WHAT THE KREMLIN IS SILENTABOUT.
December 26, 2014 at 11:41 PM

- 1. Stepan Bandera of believing family, not a military, and not spent any fight. Unlike Stalin, who killed millions of people (in the account of Russians), Stepan Bandera did not.

- 2. Stepan Bandera served in the German konts.lagere "Sachsenhausen" Three years, for the proclamation of the Act of Independence of Ukraine June 30, 1941, and for refusing to swear allegiance to the German occupation government - two brothers Stepan Bandera were tortured in the German konts.lagere "Auschwitz." All of that fighting for - an independent, Catholic and independent Ukraine.

- 3. OUN and UPA - it's two different things. Despite the fact that the OUN (Organization Ukraisnkih Nationalists) has been the backbone of the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army), but OUN and UPA - it's two different things. First, the OUN - an organization second UPA - it is the largest in EROPA Liberation Army were not registered.

- 4. Fact! Even the organization of OUN was divided into two camps: "OUN M" and "B OUN". "OUN M" - ?? Melnyk did not reject cooperation with Germany. "OUN B" - Bandera (the same), "OUN B" were opposed to any cooperation with Germany. That "OUN B" (banerovtsy), who were opposed to any cooperation with Germany, to set the objective of independence of Ukraine - the UPA formed the backbone of the Army.

- 5. UPA activities start only upon the German occupation (in 1942), that is, against Germany and its occupation.

- 6. In spite of the communist myths UPA warriors had their own form, their rank, their differences, their awards, among them shefrony with the Emblem of Ukraine and the Ukrainian flag.

- 7. In spite of the communist myths UPA took the oath of allegiance to Ukraine only. The text of the oath was approved "UGBP and entered the order of the GWN p.7, 19. VII".

- 8. In contrast to the Communists who are actively sotrudnichhali with Germany divided Europe and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. "UPA" and "OUN B" did not cooperate with either the German government all occupational or okupatsinnym communist government. except the Communists "Molotov - Ribbentrop Pact" In turn, taught each other, doing joint repression, made joint parades, exchanged weapons, etc. Communists and Germany jointly attacked Poland, the Second World War ROZVYAZAV September 1, 1939. ! That is, communism and Nazism have worked closely, though! they blame it for some reason, I have stayed in Bandera! German konts.lagere for the proclamation of Independence! Ukraine, and for refusing to cooperate with Germany, the two brothers! Bandera were tortured konts.lagere "Auschwitz." Then the question is who is whose accomplice, really? The well-known fact that the Communist pilots studied in Germany, and Germany took over "the experience of building gulags" Communists. They helped each food due to the Holodomor in Ukraine. UPA and Bandera had no agreements with the German occupation government, for which Bandera was konts.lagere, and most of his family was reprsovana under various pretexts, as communists and Germans.

- 9. The UPA did not conduct any battle with a permanent army of the USSR, and all the "back" in that could "shoot", could only be the back of the NKVD executioners who slaughtered millions of people, and then burned the village. ! ONE OF THE FACTS VAZHYH yavlyatsya that - the UPA did not occupy the lands of others, and to act only on their own land, and to defend their land and their people from both the German occupation forces, and by the NKVD executioners.

- 10. It has long been known that the facts published SBU when the NKVD disguised themselves in the UPA to make provocations under UPA. ! It reminds VizitkuYarosha # Now that the Kremlin also throws under every provocation. One of the most famous is the testimony of one of the participants specially formed spets.grupy "RO NKVD" Major Sokolov. "I consulted with the commanders of the special group that there will not be better for us to change job- will not enter the villages under the guise of gangs looking for criminals, and steal from the villages of people standing on the account RO NKVD as having a connection with the bandits, and interrogate them under the guise of the UPA .... "Certificate Major Sokolov, spets.grupa" RO NKVD. "further evidence -" (!) Moving along nationalist-controlled areas of about 300 km in order to avoid collisions and keep insurgents study, kovpakovtsy themselves "disguised themselves as nationalists", filmed insignia. "

-11. A well-known fact that the guerrillas of the Red Army, stationed in the forests of Western Ukraine recognized in the diaries that the UPA is fighting against the German army for independence of Ukraine. Among these the most known testimony Seeds Rudnev. "Our nearly two weeks of fighting have worked together with the UPA against the fascists They tell us: We, the Ukrainian nationalists against the Germans and Moscow - for the separatist Ukrainian catholic power ... Then the negotiations began, as a result of which the nationalists promised not to oppose us and gave our battalion 4 sacks of flour, cereal bag, a bag of sugar and a box of matches. "

- 12. The UPA fought people of different nationalities among them the best known are: RUSSIAN - Vladimir Cheremoshintsev I am proud that I Banderovets Russian in the UPA. JEW - Hasman Mandyk Zhisi Mandik Hasman - єvrey UPA also known UPA warriors: Belarusians, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tatars, Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, etc.

- 13. The established fact that most of the doctors was the Jews who were in the UPA. They "serve in the UPA at the call of the heart, fighting for Nezalezhnist Ukraine in healing wards of soldiers ..." - such evidence left by doctors.

- 14. UPA was aimed at independent, Catholic and independent Ukrainian state.

- 15. The fact is, the UPA has not been formally dissolved.

[Art]

In contrast to the Communists who are actively sotrudnichhali with Germany divided Europe and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. "UPA" and "OUN B" did not cooperate with either the German government all occupational or okupatsinnym communist governmen

I especially like this part. For comparison a text of proclamation of the Ukrainian state by OUN in June 1941:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declarati ... e_Act#Text
Bio of UPA commander Roman Shukhevich:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Shukhevych

[mirekw]

"Andreyev claimed that the Soviet invasion on 17 September had not been an act of aggression, but a defensive act to ensure the security of the USSR."

As usual, the language of politics far removed from common sense!

The same view expressed by Adolf Hitler, when Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941.

German attack was not an act of aggression only German defense to ensure the security of the III Reich!

regards,
mw

[mirekw]

And next:
Stalin did not attack Finland in November 1939. He only defended Soviet Union against a possible Finnish aggression towards Leningrad. It was a defensive act to ensure the security of the USSR.

[Stiltzkin]

Stalin did not attack Finland in November 1939. He only defended Soviet Union against a possible Finnish aggression towards Leningrad. It was a defensive act to ensure the security of the USSR.

Yes, because Finland was such a threat to the USSR, territorial and militarily
Considering they did not have any expansionistic ambitions and did not show aggression at all, this sounds even more ludicrous.
Finish civillians observed how the Soviets shelled their own village, then blaming it on the Finns, in order to have a casus belli.

[henryk]

In contrast to the Communists who are actively sotrudnichhali with Germany divided Europe and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. "UPA" and "OUN B" did not cooperate with either the German government all occupational or okupatsinnym communist governmen

I especially like this part. For comparison a text of proclamation of the Ukrainian state by OUN in June 1941:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declarati ... e_Act#Text
Bio of UPA commander Roman Shukhevich:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Shukhevych

There is no doubt that the UPA/OUN collaborated with the Germans, attacking Soviet Partisans, and carrying out ethnic cleansing of Poles in former Eastern Poland. However it appears to me that the Russian Supreme Court was disputing the facts that the USSR invaded Poland in 1939, in agreement with the Molotov/Ribbentrop Pact, and collaborated with the Germans until attacked in 1941.