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Russia on Wednesday marks the invasion of the Soviet Union by Hitler's Nazi Germany forces during World War II.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine to ferret out Nazis, is scheduled to lay flowers to honor the dead.
On June 22, 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, a surprise attack. The "Day of Remembrance and Sorrow" is also observed in Ukraine and Belarus, which were both parts of the Soviet Union at the time.
To commemorate the anniversary, the Russian defense ministry revealed papers dating back to the beginning of the war that purported to indicate Germany planned to say the Soviet army was destroying churches and cemeteries to legitimize its invasion.
“Just as nowadays, in 1941, the Nazis prepared provocations in advance to discredit our State and the Red Army: 'Many churches and cemeteries of all faiths are used for depots, firing positions and observation points' (...). The German command intends to spread reports that the Reds are bombing churches and cemeteries in a future war against the USSR,” said the statement.
Picture Credits: Reuters
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