US barricades Russian diplomats’ WWII commemoration visit
Date
1/15/2025 6:16:13 AM
(MENAFN) The U.S. authorities denied a request from Russian diplomats to visit North Carolina on Saturday to commemorate Soviet soldiers who died in a plane crash during a World War II mission. The Russian embassy in Washington expressed disappointment over the refusal, accusing the West of attempting to distort history and downplay the Soviet Union’s pivotal role in defeating Nazi Germany.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, the embassy criticized the U.S. Political establishment for seeking to erase the memory of the Russian-American alliance during World War II. The refusal to allow Russian diplomats to visit Elizabeth City for a memorial ceremony, where Soviet and British servicemen died in a crash on January 11, 1945, was seen as part of this effort. Despite the official refusal, some embassy staff made the trip to lay wreaths at the memorial site.
The embassy highlighted that the joint mission, which was declassified in 2012, symbolized the wartime cooperation between the USSR and the U.S. against Nazi forces. The Russian diplomats emphasized the importance of preserving this history and countering attempts to whitewash the actions of Nazi criminals.
This incident reflects the strained diplomatic relations between Russia and the U.S., which have worsened over the years, particularly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
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