The State Duma demands to draw attention to the glorification of Nazi criminals in Armenia.

State Duma deputy Maxim Shingarkin (LDPR) has prepared a request (available to RP) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov with a request to take diplomatic action against the leadership of the Republic of Armenia and to remind the inadmissibility of glorification of Nazi collaborators. The occasion was the inauguration of the monument to a collaborationist, Hitler’s accomplice Garegin Nzhdeh in Yerevan. Previously, the square and the metro station were named after him.

“Processes such as the installation of the monument to collaborationists – Hitler’s accomplices, resemble Ukrainian. There as well, as you may recall, all began with the glorification of the executioners of the OUN – UPA.  All the more strange is to observe these processes in a friendly, brotherly Armenia, with strong internationalism; in the country, which gave a brilliant Marshal Baghramyan, whose leadership talent has made a great contribution to the victory. Unfortunately, Nazism rises in many former Soviet republics, and the consequences of flirting with radical nationalism could be severe”, – Maxim Shingarkin explained to RP.

The parliamentarian also noted that Armenia is seeking international recognition of the Armenian genocide, with up to 1.5 million victims, and the Nazis and their accomplices had been condemned at the Nuremberg trials, including for genocide.  According to Shingarkin, it is necessary to be cautious in choosing national heroes, especially those who have tarnished themselves by collaborating with the military and political leadership of the Third Reich.

Let us recall, that on May 28, the Day of the First Republic, the official opening ceremony of the monument to Garegin Nzhdeh, one of the founders of tseghakronism – nationalistic ideology, was held in the center of Yerevan. The aim of tseghakronism is to bring together Armenian people throughout the territory of its historical motherland under a single Armenian state. In Armenia, they are calling Nzhdeh a hero of the national liberation movement of the early XX century. Which is fine, except Nzhdeh actively cooperated with the SS during World War II.

It is known that during the Second World Nzhdeh was part of Caucasian block of representatives of émigré organizations of the Caucasian nations on the support platform for Germany and its armed forces, as the liberators of the Caucasus from the “Soviet occupation”.  In 1942 he formed units from captured Armenian soldiers of the Red Army within the Wehrmacht.  December 15, 1942, Garegin Nzhdeh became one of seven members of the Armenian National Council established by Germans. According to historians, Armenian paramilitary groups created in Germany and led by Nzhdeh were actively involved in operations to capture Crimea and attacks on Caucasus.

Drastamat Kanayan, known under the name of General Dro, helped him in the creation of the infamous “Armenian Legion”.  As the Austrian historian Eric Feigl pointed out in his works, in December 1942 Dro visited Himmler. “Dro had a practice and experience of killing without any compassion, and this strongly impressed Himmler, – specifies Feigl. –  Neither Dro, nor Himmler was bothered by the fact that they themselves were sending people to death. About 30 thousand Armenians have answered Dro’s call and joined the Nazis”. However, today a large-scale cult of General Dro and Nzhdeh is created in Armenia, which is considered a close ally of Russia.

At the end of the war, Garegin Nzhdeh was arrested by SMERSH and sent to Moscow, to the inner prison of the Ministry of State Security in the Lubyanka. In 1946 he was transferred from the Lubyanka to a prison in Yerevan. Njdeh was accused of counterrevolutionary activity, primarily in participating in “anti-Soviet” uprising in Zangezur, and mass murder of Communists during this uprising. April 24, 1948 a special meeting of Ministry of State Security sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

“It is difficult to imagine, but Russia did not react to the installation of the monument to Nazi henchmen. And considering Armenia’s total dependence on Russia, just Lavrov’s one phone call to the President of Armenia would be enough. I remembered how my Armenian friends were telling about the constant work carried out by the US Embassy in Yerevan, attracting young people literally with Coke and cookies. And Russia was unable to allocate three hundred (!) Dollars a month in order to support the only Russian books shop in Yerevan. The store was forced to close…  What can I say about our “Kremlin wise men”? Only the immortal words of Lavrov. “, – said the president of the “Patriot” foundation Vladimir Fedorov in an interview with RP.

According to the head of the scientific sector of the Russian military-historical society, Yuri Nikiforov, today, building a monument of Garegin Nzhdeh means to rehabilitate him in the eyes of public opinion. At first glance it seems that the collaborationists were guided by some notions about the welfare of native Armenian land, but in fact it is something that people of faith call the deal with the devil. And it is useless to play with him – he will fool you anyway.

“It is obvious that, one can go very far by rehabilitating the collaborationists in the eyes of certain people. If we look at it this way, why to put a monument of only Garegin Nzhdeh, let’s do it for all of them, for the entire lineup, starting from the ordinary participants of collaborative movement and finishing with its leadership. And it can be extended to infinity… Then we will simply begin to erect monuments of fascist dictators.  And who are they; they are just the same collaborationists, who found no better option than to bend to Hitler and start to fight along with him. I am sure that the Armenian people for the most part will never betray the memory of the common victory over fascism, our friendship, our joint build of a great superpower”, – summarizes Nikiforov.

Source rusplt.ru