Israel has forcefully rebutted comments made by Russia’s foreign ministry, who appeared to downplay the Holocaust’s specific impact on the Jewish people by characterizing it as the mass extermination of “various ethnic and social groups” and attacking Germany for standing by Israel as it defends itself against South Africa’s genocide claims against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

At a media briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized Berlin for its staunch backing of Israel. She accused Germany of systematically ignoring the suffering of non-Jewish minorities during the Holocaust, particularly the Slavic people in the then-Soviet Union.

Zakharova referred to UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/60/7, which established International Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27. The resolution highlights the Holocaust’s devastating impact on the Jewish community, noting the murder of one-third of the Jewish people along with numerous other minority groups. She criticized Berlin for its refusal to acknowledge Nazi crimes against Soviet peoples as genocide, specifically pointing to the nearly two-and-a-half-year Siege of Leningrad during World War II where Berlin has not offered reparations.

Additionally, Zakharova accused Germany of excessively defending Ukraine in the face of Russia’s 2022 invasion, alleging that the Kyiv regime glorifies Nazi collaborators. This accusation aligns with Russia’s longstanding claim that its invasion of Ukraine is a fight against neo-Nazism, despite a lack of substantial evidence and the Jewish heritage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zakharova concluded that Germany, in the context of the International Court of Justice proceedings, has chosen to isolate the Holocaust from other historical acts against humanity. She accused Berlin of selectively adjusting its historical perspective based on current political considerations.

“Israel thanks Germany for its unequivocal support and its stand against South Africa’s baseless claim,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in response, adding that the Russian’s comments were a “distortion of the Holocaust,” and that they were “harmful to victims and survivors.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)