Posted on 03/05/2009 9:56:13 AM PST by propertius
The Russian government is to outlaw criticism of Soviet military tactics during the Second World War in the latest example of its heavy-handed approach to dissent.
The controversial plan comes after a television documentary exposed the scale of human losses during one of the conflict's bloodiest battles.
The programme stirred deep emotions in a country that has traditionally glorified the heroic exploits of ordinary soldiers during the 'Great Patriotic War' but has often ignored the immense human cost behind the victory over Nazi Germany.
As anger among veterans swelled, the government sensed an opportunity to capitalise on the public mood at a time when the threat of economic recession is threatening prime minister Vladimir Putin's popularity.
Sergei Shoigu, the respected emergency situations minister, has called for a law, based on Holocaust denial legislation in Germany, that would make it a criminal offence to suggest that the Soviet Union did not win the War.
Mr Shoigu indicated that the legislation would also seek to punish eastern European or former Soviet states which deny they were liberated by the Red Army. The leaders of those countries could be banned from Russian soil, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Guess it all depends on your definition of "liberated."
Good idea. Maybe democrats can outlaw critics of war on poverty 1960s.
Liberated: The color of the boot on your neck is a different color.
And to think the Russians (and some FReepers) had their panties all in a bunch because Estonia(?) moved a Russian war memorial.
It's the flipside of the coin, I know, but the Russians should be thankful the memorial wasn't moved straight to the city dump.
Liberated: The boot on your neck is a different color.
U.S.A. to outlaw criticism of OBAMA’s tactics.....
Almost as bad as Comrade 0bama’s regime.
lol...I'm sure they'll be heartbroken.
Red Army tactics were fairly primitive in 1941-1942. Lots of frontal assaults. By late 1943, they were tactically more proficient and relied more on firepower. However, give some credit to the Germans. Up to the very end the Germans were adept at building tough defensive positions that necessarily required heavy casualties to overcome. And the scale of the fighting on the Eastern Front was nothing less than gigantic.
Yeah, the Russians took heavy losses during the war. Given the way the war was fought, it could not be otherwise. I’d rather the Russians just admit it and point out that it’s what they had to do to survive. But, hey, they’re Russians. They are particularly sensitive to things like the truth.
The first 30 minutes of Enemy At the Gates will show you how the glorious worker's paradise treated it's people.
Can we PLEASE restart the Cold War now?
Well in Putin’s defense (so far as it goes, which isn’t far): a nation that paints itself in a bad light is called “suicidal”.
I’m not defending Stalin nor the Soviet Union. Just wondering - after seeing what’s come out of Hollywood and the TV studios for the past couple decades - whether my own America still has the will to live.
Did the Russians consult with the US President on this?
A lot of Russians won’t even admit they took heavy losses in the war, which is just weird.
That said, I don't think that there's much to criticize militarily in Russia's strategy. They used a similar strategy ("scorched earth strategy") against Napoleon in 1810-1814 where they left little behind for the enemy during retreat, and relied on the harsh winter to assist in their counter-attack.
Don't forget the NKVD "blocking units" who set up maching guns to kill soldiers who retreated, or didn't advance fast enough. I would never deny or trivialize the toughness and courage of the Russian soldier during that war, but regarding the Red Army's tactics, the truth is the truth. Largely I believe that they were the result of Stalin's "doing away" with his more competent officers early on.
My favorite Soviet tactic was the use of explosive anti-tank dogs, by way of training them to seek food under vehicles.
I always wondered what an American farmboy in Europe would have thought if he had known about “Uncle Joe” using purposely starved dogs as suicide bombers. Something just isn’t right about it, even though its just an animal and relatively worthless compared to a human casualty. They might not have wanted to stop in Berlin, knowing what we know now.
Yet Putin is warning US about Socialism???
What kind of sick twisted world is this????
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