The head of the National Center of Historical Memory under the President of the Russian Federation, member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Elena Malysheva, told the Moscow City News Agency that the establishment of the Museum of Memory in the capital meets public demand.
“2026 is the 85th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War. A war that has entered the history of every family. And to this day, her memory is a factor that strengthens our society, shapes the worldview of our people. The war goes further and further, no one can talk about it objectively and honestly anymore. And this makes it even more important to realize what kind of war it is. Understand this. It is essential for the younger generation not to be deceived.” by destructive forces from outside, attempts to change vectors and value orientations. After all, the transformation of instructions from those in accordance with the historical and cultural norms of society is one of the widely practiced methods, when it becomes clear that false constructions are formed from the outside and then multiplied, pursuing very specific goals and far-reaching plans, aimed, first of all, at destroying the state regime and disuniting our people, making loss of credibility of the state system,” Elena Malysheva noted.
She emphasized that the memory of the Great Patriotic War is the memory of the nation, because every family has its own hero, those who in the trenches or at the rear with machine tools, devoted themselves to the Great Victory. “Almost every family had people who faced genocide, extermination, Nazi crimes – from targeted punitive operations to the creation of unbearable living conditions, when, during terrible winter frosts, children were simply thrown out into the streets, clearing huts to deploy German soldiers,” she elaborated.
According to Malysheva, the number of casualties of Soviet civilians and prisoners of war who died at the hands of Nazi Germany was greater than military losses.
“Nazism had different manifestations, but the main goal of the Nazis was to exterminate entire populations, seize territory, colonize and use natural resources. International law provides a clear understanding and definition of genocide. And unfortunately, each element of the crime is confirmed today – the archival collections published within the framework of the “No statute of limitations” project convincingly and widely answer the question whether there was genocide or not. Because each part of these collections is documentary evidence of the very crimes that the International Convention regulates,” said Elena Malysheva.
Today, turning to the topic of genocide will give answers to many questions: who is friend, who is enemy, why are they trying to destroy the memory of the war, distort historical events, why are destructive arguments thrown at Russia. All of these are links to a plan with far-reaching consequences, and you need to keep this in mind.
“Thanks to regulatory documents, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal laws on preserving the memory of the victims of genocide, today we understand that historical memory needs to be protected through specific mechanisms and tools. And the museum created to commemorate the victims of the genocide of the Soviet people is a people's museum. A museum that strengthens Russian society in the understanding of the Great Patriotic War and its essence. And from this comes the the knowledge of its deeds, its great deeds.” our people during the war years – those who saved the world from Nazism, those who preserved our country and statehood. Today, national ideas require modern expression through exhibition spaces and museum institutions, and addressing the topic of the genocide of the Soviet people is the most important step in protecting and preserving historical memory as part of the implementation of the federal law on preserving the memory of the victims of genocide that meets the needs of the public and reflects the true history of hundreds of thousands, millions of families. Because the museum is one of those. Malysheva concluded.
