The Russian House in Colombo erected a plaque at the Colombo Public Library commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The unveiling of the plaque dedicated to the memory of 27 million Soviet lives who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Second World War is the true embodiment of the camaraderie between the Russian people and the people of Sri Lanka.
The term Second World War is hardly used by any Russian as their story of war experience when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union was a macabre one. Hitler’s abomination to Slavic people manifested in the countless atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi army during the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1942.
German invasion
The German invasion of Russia is much less of a surprise than the Russo-German pact of August 23, 1939. It was not only that “Mein Kampf” was always the revelation of Hitler’s sincere mind. On April 11, 1939, in an almost raving speech at Wilhelmshaven, Hitler described Soviet Russia as “That Jewish sponge of fungus,” and he had repeatedly returned in public pronouncements to his designs on Ukraine and even on the mineral wealth of Urals.
For millions of Russians, the war was an existential struggle which they vanquished triumphantly. Thus, the national resistance against the Nazi invaders is simply called “Great Patriotic War”. At the event in Colombo, Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Levan S. Dzhagaryan reminded of the obstacles faced by Soviet troops in liberating their motherland from the Nazi invaders which ultimately brought the victory. After the brief stint that Stalin enjoyed with Hitler, it was obvious that the Soviet Union would become the next victim of the Third Reich.
Stalin has had in front of him a clear-cut question – the choice between resistance and absolute surrender. He has made the right choice and the only one which those well acquainted with the conditions could have expected. With a surrender, it was not only territory that would have gone but the whole regime itself, for it was impossible that Stalin’s pet creation, the Socialist transformation which has unquestionably done so much for Russia, should have continued under a German domination.
For him, it would have obviously been the end. Even if he had temporised and at least made a show of admitting a closer participation of German specialists in the work of production and transport in Russia, it would only have been a step farther towards the end. Nor could he have dabbled with a German partnership in Iran and Iraq without standing to lose Baku, on which the whole of his mechanised agriculture depends. German penetration would have easily enough passed on to Siberia.
The memory of the Second World War has ebbed within the span of time, wherein the remaining war veterans are limited as every day they face the inevitability of death. However, in Russian space, still the war victory over the Nazis echoes as a moment of glory that shows to the world, Russia is a standout before any challenge.
Russian Ambassador Dzhagaryan said that Russia is not looking for global hegemony. Still, Moscow’s ambition is rooted in establishing a balanced world order contrasting to a place where a few powers tend to dominate world affairs. Throughout history, what distinguished Russia from other powered powers was based on Russia’s tryst with their sovereignty.
The history of Russia reveals how Russians developed a strong sense of national pride even after the serfdom under the Mogul yoke. From Napoleon to Hitler, those who tried to defeat Russia tasted the nemesis of defeat. Today, Russia is involved in a proxy with the West as the war in Ukraine is simply a battle between two world views. Although Ukraine remains the centre of gravity in this conflict, the reality is that it is a war harboured by the West against Russian interests.
It is in this context that one should fathom the geopolitical complexities surrounding the war in Ukraine. Russia is in a war that Moscow cannot afford to lose. As Sergy Karganov, Russia’s top geopolitical thinker said they need a kind of victory. And if there is a sense that Russia is losing the war, then there is a definite possibility of escalation. This war is a kind of proxy war between the West and the rest – Russia being, as it has been in history, the pinnacle of “the rest” – for a future world order.
Russian-Sri Lankan friendship
Unveiling the plaque to commemorate the 80th anniversary the Soviet victory over the Nazi regime is emblematic of the strong relationship between Sri Lanka and Russian, which has not been marred by any of the external events. People in Sri Lanka have always shown love for Russian culture as many Sri Lankans grew in the adolescence reading Dostoyevsky and other great Russian classics.
Sri Lanka’s love for Russia is much deeper than orthodox diplomacy. On the other hand, Russian scholars’ findings on Sri Lankan history disclose Russia’s historical connection with the island. On the whole, the plaque unveiled by Ambassador will continue to foster the solidarity between the people of the two nations.
The writer is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and an alumnus of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow
