On June 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, criticizing the EU and NATO countries, compared their behavior with the actions of Nazi Germany. “When the Second World War began, Hitler gathered a significant, if not large, part of the European countries to fight against the Soviet Union,” Lavrov said. We decided to figure out if this is true.
Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sounded At a briefing in Baku after a meeting of Sergei Lavrov with his Azerbaijani colleague: “But this is the path that the Europeans chose. The path, which, unfortunately, recalls when the Second World War began, Hitler gathered a significant, if not large, part of European countries for the struggle against the Soviet Union. Now, in the same way, including the European Union, together with NATO, they collect such a modern coalition for the struggle, and by and large of the war, with the Russian Federation. ” Lavrov’s statement was subsequently replicated by all Russian large media, including TASS, "Kommersant" And RBC.
By June 22, 1941, there were 27 relatively independent countries in Europe, not counting those that were annexed or completely under the control of the German administration. From this number, it is necessary to count the states that were part of the coalition with Germany against the Soviet Union.
The Union, created on the initiative of Germany, arose in 1940 as a result Conclusion Triple Pact - cooperation agreements between Germany, Italy and Japan. These powers made up the core of the axis. The allies of these three countries and puppet states were added to them later. In the context of Lavrov’s statement, only European countries should be mentioned.
The first category (on the map is marked in red) - independent countries officially fought with the USSR. Directly on June 22, 1941, after the start of hostilities, Germany officially announced War of the USSR. On the same day, other European countries of the axis - Italy and Romania joined Germany. June 23 of the USSR announced Slovakia, a state created with the support of Germany after the occupation of Czechoslovakia. June 26 on the country's entry into the war against the USSR reported On the radio, Finland President Riste Ryuti. June 27 to opponents of the Soviet Union Added Hungary. In total, six independent states officially declared war on the USSR war.
The second category (yellow) is independent countries that were allies of Germany, but not officially fought with the Soviet Union. So, the number of the axis states included Bulgaria. This country took part in the war against the kingdom of Yugoslavia and against Greece, declared war on the United States and Great Britain, however Saved Diplomatic relations with the USSR. At the war with the Soviet Union, Bulgaria was only a few days in September 1944, and then at the initiative of Moscow. Another unconditional ally of Germany, who did not declare the war of the USSR, - Independent Croatia, who focused on ethnic purges and the fight against partisans. On the Eastern Front, including under Stalingrad, the Croatian formations were involved, but they were considered volunteer, which will be discussed below.
The third category (brown) - Involuntarily allies Germany, countries and territories occupied by the Third Reich. By 1941, a significant part of the European states were under the occupation. They did not conduct independent foreign policy in the east. France was divided into two parts: Germany occupied the North, in the south there was a puppet French state with the capital in Vichy. The Vishist regime in the war with the USSR did not participate. Albania, formally declared the war of the USSR on June 28, 1941, was under the Italian occupation. German troops occupied Denmark in 1940, while the king retained formal power. The same fate befell Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. Greece in 1940 repulsed the attack of Italian troops, but in 1941 fell under the German occupation.
The fourth category (green) - countries that have observed neutrality during the whole war. These are Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland. Spain Sent The 20,000th “blue division”, but officially, the USSR did not declare a war on the front. The dwarf states can also be attributed to the same category-Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican.
The fifth category (blue) is the UK, who fought With Germany since 1939. Conditionally, Iceland can also be attributed here. Until 1944, the island was under the protectorate of Denmark, but after the beginning of the German occupation of Denmark itself, Iceland became an ally of the British.
Finally, without any categories (pink color), you can leave countries that have lost their statehood by 1941. First of all, it is Poland, divided between the USSR and Germany in 1939 according to protocol To the Molotov - Ribbentrop. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in 1940 everything according to the same Pact They went under the control of the USSR. And after June 22, 1941, the former republics occupied Germany. The protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (part of the Czechoslovakia, corresponding to the most part of the modern Czech Republic) de facto controlled by German officials-reichsprotectors. Austria has been annexed by Germany since 1938, Luxembourg since 1940. In 1941, Germany occupied Yugoslavia. Part of the kingdom went to Croatia, Macedonia went to Bulgaria, Montenegro became an Italian protectorate, in the rest of the time in 1941 the German military administration was riding.
During the war, the French, Belgians, and other Europeans fought on the side of Germany. But these were volunteer formationrecruited in occupied countries. Therefore, to believe that France, Belgium or Denmark fought against the USSR, at least incorrectly. The national units were compiled both from the former Soviet prisoners of war, and from Russian emigrants, but this does not mean that they represented any state. The motive of Europe, united against Bolshevism, Nazi propaganda willingly used volunteers to recruit.
On the map of the country, who fought with the USSR and marked by Red, occupy a significant area. However, this in no way affects the fallacy of the statement of Sergei Lavrov, who spoke not about the territory, but about the states. His words about Hitler, who collected “significant, if not large, part of European countries” to fight the USSR, is not true. Strictly speaking, only six out of almost 30 countries were at war with the Soviet Union.
Body image: Wikimedia Commons
Not true
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