"War crimes must not be forgotten or forgiven. War is a crime against humanity," Riigikogu speaker Henn Põlluaas (EKRE) said, according to a Riigikogu press release Friday morning, before directly naming Russia as responsible for the falsification and distortion of history as th 75th anniversary – celebrated in Russia on May 9 – approaches.

"We condemn the attempts arising from the aggressive geopolitical ambitions of the Russian Federation to falsify and distort history, and to blame others for the crimes committed by Russia itself, including starting the war," Põlluaas went on.

Põlluaas added that the cynical efforts by the Kremlin to reap political benefits from the sufferings of the victims and to incite mistrust and hatred between nations are bound to fail.

"The proverb 'truth rises, lies sink' also holds true in international relations," Põlluaas emphasised. "Unfortunately, the truth does not rise by itself; it needs to be supported by strengthening the global historical memory."

Põlluaas pointed out that when Estonia commemorates the victims of World War Two, it does so with authentic historical memory in mind.

"It is our duty to uphold authentic historical memory, so that the crimes of totalitarian regimes are not forgotten, and to fight against all attempts to falsify history. Knowledge of historical truth helps stand against the threats to democracy and the right to self-determination of peoples," Põlluaas said.

The Riigikogu drew attention to the phenomenon in its statement "On Historical Memory and Falsification of History" on February 19 2020.

The full text of Põlluaas' statement is here. The Saeima, the Latvian Parliament, and the Seimas in Lithuania, have both issued similar statements, the Riigikogu reports.

Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!