DISINFO: Anti-Stalinist forces spread fakes about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on its 85th anniversary
SUMMARY
New lies appeared on the 85th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This agreement is a painful subject for the anti-Stalinists of all countries and nations. Real fountains of Russophobia, anti-Sovietism and eternal hatred of Russia erupted. Claims about the “collusion of two dictators”, which opened the way to a World War and other similar fabrications appeared. The goal of these actions is clear: to equate Communism with Nazism in historical terms and to draw a parallel between the Third Reich and the USSR, which saved humanity from the "brown plague."
RESPONSE
The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative distorting the events leading up to the Second World War, in particular denying USSR's role in the process leading up to the start of WWII in Europe after Moscow's signing the Pact with Nazi Germany, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939.
The Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact of August 1939 provided for and stimulated mutual important trade and technology exchange between USSR and Nazi Germany, cultural ties and, importantly, contained a secret supplementary protocol resulted in a coordinated Nazi-Soviet campaign against Poland and decided the carving up of Eastern Europe between the USSR and the Third Reich.
The Pact was unique in scope, reach and importance. There is no historical evidence that any other pre-war agreements with Nazi Germany contained secret provisions of this kind and none had the devastating effects of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. See also our article 23 August – Black Ribbon Day, or the European Day of Remembrance.
The secret protocol was revealed after Germany’s defeat in 1945, although hints about its provisions had been leaked much earlier.
See here for our debunking of the claim that the Soviet Union was “forced” to conclude an agreement with Hitler.
See similar disinformation cases on the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in our database: West rewriting history by claiming USSR colluded with Nazi Germany; Poland re-writes history claiming the USSR attacked it in September 1939; the West tries to revise history, questioning the decisions of the Nuremberg trial; Europe is to blame for the outbreak of WWII.