The aiders of fascists in Latvia will not be able to deceive the History!

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia has banned entrance to the territory of the republic to two Russian historians: Alexander Dyukov and Vladimir Simindey, who are the citizens of Russia. What are the grounds for such absurd decision? It turns out that the Latvian side has the ones: some kind of conclusion, according to which the actions of the Russian historians ... harm both Latvia and its citizens. At the same time, undesirable scientists were added to the list of persons, whose entrance into the Schengen area is undesirable.

The thing is that in March the historians wanted to bring in Latvia the exhibition: “Stolen childhood: the fates of children, deported to the territory of Latvia, 1943-1944 years”.
The democratic Latvia was not satisfied with the theme of exhibition categorically...

We would like to remind you that “Historical memory” fund was established in 2008, its mission - to “promote the objective scientific researches of actual pages of the Russian and East European history of the twentieth century.” The historian Alexander Dyukov, which currently is not allowed in Latvia, is the director of above mentioned Fund.

What kind of books does “Historical memory” fund issue? Here are some of them:

Yury Alexeevich Moglinsky camp: the story of one small factory of death (1941-1944)

This book tells the story about Moglinskogy concentration camp, which was in the zone of responsibility of “Estonian Security Police and SD” and mass executions were committed by the Estonians.

The sentenced by the Nazism. The collection of documentary evidences about the atrocities of the German Nazis and their collaborators during the German occupation of Latvia in 1941-1945.

This collection of documents contains archival materials of the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry, conducted the investigation of Nazi crimes across the territory of Latvia. It is the first scientific publication about the camp in Salaspils in Russian.

The tragedy of the Belarusian villages, 1941-1944: Documents and Materials

Prepared by the experts of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus, the collection contains more than 200 Soviet and German documents about cutting of Belarusian villages by the Nazis and their aiders. Many papers are published for the first time.

Dyukov A.R. “Winter Magic” operation: Nazi extermination policy and Latvian collaboration.

The “Winter Magic” operation was conducted in February – March, 1943 near the Belarusian-Latvian frontier. The Latvian police battalions were the main striking force in this operation.

The History is exact science, only emotions will not help here - the documents are needed. And after the shameful decision of the Latvian authorities the documents, which explain why it was possible, have already appeared:

Manifest of “Historical Memory” fund.

"On March 2, this year, the Director of "Historical Memory" fund, Alexander Dyukov and the head of the research programs of the fund, Vladimir Simindey were declared as personas non grata by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Mr. Edgars Rinkevichs. According to this decision, A. Dyukov and V. Simindey were included in the list of the persons with denied entrance in Latvia for an indefinite period, as well as in the list of undesirable persons of the Schengen area. As it was noted in the statement, posted on the official website of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Latvia, the decision was made “on the basis of conclusion of the competent authorities on the conscious undesirable activity of these two persons, which harms both the Latvian state and its citizens.”

“Historical Memory” fund considers the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia as an outrageous interference in the affairs of the historical studies, primitive political pressure and direct attempt to obstruct the objective studies of the problematic pages of the Russian-Latvian history. Extremely demonstrative fact is that the Latvian Foreign Ministry is not even trying to hide that the decision, to declare the staff of fund "Historical Memory" fund as both “the enemies of the Latvian State” and personas non grata was made at the suggestion of the local security forces. All this wonderfully reminds the shameful practice of dissidents’ persecution by the Soviet KGB, and it can be considered as evidence of heavy deficit of democracy in Latvia.

After the announcement of “undesirables” Russian historians as personas non grata it becomes quite clear that the Latvian side has no interest to conduct the scientific dialogue per difficult pages of our common past that the work of the consolidate Russian-Latvian Commission of Historians will be profaned.

The solution of the Foreign Ministry of Latvia is a direct attempt to disrupt the opening of the historical-documentary exhibition “Stolen childhood: Fates of children, deported to the territory of Latvia, 1943 – 1944”, prepared by the “Historical memory” fund within the program: “Status increase of the inhabitants of burnt Belarusian villages”, implemented by both the Belarusian Peace Fund and “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” German Fund, planned at the end of March, this year in Riga. Earlier, the exhibition was named by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs without proof, as “malicious falsification of history” and “confusion event.”

In opinion of the “Historical memory” fund, the “Stolen childhood” exhibition triggers such inadequate reaction of the official Latvian authorities only, because the one is based on wide range of the documentary sources that are shown the crimes, committed across the territory of Russia and Belarus by both the Nazis and their collaborators – the soldiers of the Latvian police battalions. Obviously that the objective studies of counterinsurgency operations near the Russian-Belarusian-Latvian frontier in the years of Nazi occupation are “inconvenient” for the modern Latvian political establishment that has made a bet on the glorification of the Latvian SS legion.

The “Historical memory” fund states that in spite of the outrageous and unprecedented pressure of the Latvian authorities, the historical-documentary exhibition: “Stolen childhood” will be opened in late March, this year, in Riga. By the opening of the exhibition, the international roundtable on the problem of Nazi counterinsurgency operations across the north-west of the USSR will be associated with it, the scientists from Russia, Belarus, Germany, France and other European countries will take part in this event.

The “Historical Memory” fund will continue the work, related to the research of the tragedy of young victims of the Nazis, deported to the territory of Latvia, and the one will be happy to continue the further cooperation with all scientific and public structures for which, this little-explored subject is very important.”

Statement of Russian historians group of Latvia.

“The Russian historians of Latvia were surprised by the commitment of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevichs, in which he has declared as personas non grata of both Russian historians – Director of “Historical Memory” fund, Alexander Dyukov and the head of the research programs of the same fund, Vladimir Simindey. According to this decision, A. Dyukov and V. Simindey are included in the list of persons with denied entrance in Latvia, as well as in the Schengen zone.

Solution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Latvian Republic indicates about the strengthening of the totalitarian ideology in activity of the State of Latvia. The one thing is clear that the Latvian government uses any means to sidestep the historical facts that dispel its propagated myths. This decision is in line with other attempts, when the extremely ideological and contrary to historical facts understanding of the period of Nazi occupation of Latvia and the Latvian Volunteer Legion of Waffen SS are forced upon public during the last twenty years.

The solution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvian Republic to ban the entrance in Latvia of the Russian historians, which study the Nazi crimes during World War II, gives good reasons to believe that the far-right Latvia's ruling elite tries to justify the Nazi ideology and the Nazi crimes and prevent the dissemination of information about the crimes of the Nazism.

The solution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvian Republic is a gross political interference in the history study and it does not work towards better understanding of historical processes.




We appeal the international community and especially the Russian authorities to pay attention to the plain undemocratic actions of the Latvian government, which imposes strict censorship to the Latvian society, and the one denies any other standpoints purposefully.

We demand to stop political interfering in the history science, and cancel the decision of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevichs immediately”.

The statement was signed by:

Vlad Bogov (historian and ethnographer, the compiler of the collection of documentary evidences about the crimes of the German Nazis and their collaborators during the German occupation of Latvia in 1941 - 1944. “The Sentenced by the Nazism. Salaspils concentration camp: the forgotten history," the author of photodocumentary exhibition: “Concentration camps and stalags across the Baltics territory during the Nazi occupation., 1941-1944.”), Igor Gusev (historian, author of the documentary film: “Salaspils stalag”), Victor Gushchin (historian, complier of the collection of the documents, ”Crimes of both the Nazis and their collaborators in the Baltic States (Latvia), 1941 - 1945 “The author of photodocumentary exhibition: “Jelgava during the Nazi occupation. 1941 – 1945”).