Special envoys for Holocaust matters from ten countries, including Croatia, signed a joint statement on Thursday calling Vladimir Putin's claims of 'denazifying' Ukraine 'distortions of history,' which are 'insulting for victims of Holocaust and undermine efforts to prevent such an atrocity from ever happening again.'

The joint statement was signed by envoys for Holocaust issues from Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Romania, United Kingdom, and the United States. On behalf of Croatia, the statement was signed by Sara Lustig, special advisor to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for Holocaust issues, prevention of antisemitism, and relations with Jewish communities.

The statement was released to mark the 81st anniversary of the massacre of nearly 34,000 Jews by the Nazis and their associates at Babyn Yar near Kyiv in Ukraine.

“We can never let the memory of those victims, and everyone who was murdered in the Holocaust, be dishonored, erased, or cynically abused for political purposes… For 45 years following WWII the Soviet Union censored evidence of the Holocaust, including accurate research and records of the massacre of Jews at Babyn Yar… Thus it is particularly horrifying that Vladimir Putin is trying to justify his unprovoked war against Ukraine by distorting and misappropriating Holocaust history. Saying that today’s democratic Ukraine needs to be ‘denazified’ is an insult to all those who suffered under the Nazi regime in Ukraine and elsewhere,” the envoys said.

After his country invaded Ukraine at the end of February, Putin said that one of the goals of the operation was to “denazify” Ukraine, claiming that Ukraine’s leadership are effectively Nazis.

“Such distortion erodes the understanding of the Holocaust, disrespects its legacy, and undermines contemporary global efforts to prevent mass atrocities so that another Holocaust can never again occur. Our countries stand together in supporting human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, by countering distortion of history and improving accurate Holocaust education, remembrance, and research. Understanding the history that led to past atrocities can help us identify and, we hope, prevent such abominations in the future,” they said.

“Despite the fact that the Fourth Geneva Convention guarantees protection of civilians during armed conflict, during the armed conflict in Ukraine Russian authorities have committed the war crime of unlawful transfer or deportation of protected persons, and estimates from a variety of sources indicate that Russia’s authorities and its proxies have detained, interrogated, and reportedly tortured hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens,” they said.

The signatories to the statement “unequivocally condemned” these actions and all of Russia’s crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, calling on Russia to immediately end its war of aggression against Ukraine. They also supported efforts to preserve evidence of atrocities, including those conducted by the International Criminal Court, the UN, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and others.

“History shows that accountability is imperative. The people of Ukraine need and deserve justice. Our countries are committed to holding perpetrators of war crimes and other atrocities accountable for their unconscionable actions,” they said.