A lecture by the adviser of the Russian Embassy in Turkey, associate professor, candidate of historical sciences Alexander Sotnichenko, “On the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II,” took place at the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Ankara on Saturday.

Sotnichenko spoke about the events preceding the outbreak of World War II, the policies of the USSR in the prewar years, the conclusion of a non-aggression pact with Germany, and attempts to review the outcome of the war at present.

He recalled the attempts of the USSR to create a collective security system in Europe in the prewar years, while Great Britain and France made constant concessions to Nazi Germany by concluding a number of treaties with it, including the Munich Agreement of 1938 on the division of Czechoslovakia, which was untied by Hitler. Under these conditions, the USSR was forced to conclude a non-aggression pact with Germany, which gave the country a peaceful respite and effectively nullified the threat of an attack by Japan.

“Now attempts are being made in the West to blame the USSR for the outbreak of World War II, declaring him almost an ally of Nazi Germany. However, these fabrications have no basis, since the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is not an agreement on alliance, but on non-aggression. The Soviet Union and Germany did not conduct any joint military operations,which is contrary to popular myths. The alleged parade of the Soviet and German troops in Brest is the same fiction, ” – said Sotnichenko.

Students watched an exhibition of archival documents and photographs telling about the dramatic events of 1939. The event was attended by compatriots, Turkish citizens studying the Russian language, teachers and high school students at the Russian Embassy in Ankara and employees of Russian foreign institutions.