New ZOiS expert voice: 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz

On 27 January 1945, the Soviet army liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp – a central moment in the memory of the Holocaust. On the 80th anniversary, Russia remains excluded from the official commemoration.

In his analysis, MoveMeRU PI Félix Krawatzek sheds light on the significance of this date in the Russian historical narrative. While in Western countries, Auschwitz is a symbol of the dehumanising violence of the Holocaust, Russia is increasingly using the day of remembrance to shape its own narratives – from the memory of the Leningrad Blockade to the reinterpretation of the Holocaust in the context of Soviet victims.

The absence of Russian representatives at the commemoration ceremony sparked criticism in Moscow and highlights the increasing divergence between Russia and the West in the discourse on history.

The full expert voice (in German) can be found here.