Russia, which marks the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, has accused Germany of fueling “Russophobic hysteria” amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Berlin over Ukraine.
“Official Berlin is threatening with words and deeds the results of decades of efforts by Russia and Germany to overcome hostilities after the war,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the occasion of the anniversary. Members of the German government are launching “virtually daily attacks on our country” that fuel “Russophobic hysteria”, according to the statement.
The invasion of the Third Reich in the USSR began on June 22, 1941, and Russia commemorates the victims of the conflict on this day. The anniversary is celebrated as “Day of Remembrance and Sorrow”.
At the same time, a spokesman for the German government said that Berlin “firmly” rejects the threats of Russia’s retaliatory measures against Lithuania, related to the country’s restrictions on the transit of some goods to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
“We call on Russia not to take measures contrary to international law,” the spokesman added.
Moscow has promised “serious” retaliatory measures against Vilnius, following the application of European sanctions imposed for the invasion of Ukraine, recalls AFP.
–
