After 80 years, the war came to Europe again. There is a new global battle for democracy and human rights taking place in the world today. Ukrainewhere the Kremlin is waging an unjust war against innocent civilians and Ukrainian freedom fighters.

We are indebted to those who died in The Second World War prevent President Putin from rewriting history once again. Since in 1944 the Red Army crossed the western border of the Soviet Union, the expulsion of the Nazis from the territory of other states of the continent did not bring them real freedom – on the contrary, the “liberators” themselves became conquerors.

This continued after the end of the Second World War, when Soviet troops came to the “rescue” of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Hungary in 1956. The creation of the “Russian World” adopted many elements of the imperialist doctrine of the USSR, which do not differ from the main verses of Nazism. The methods used by Russia today in the war against Ukraine were tested by the Third Reich. Goebbels would be proud of his Russian students.

Presenting itself as a “victim of Nazism”, committing acts of brutal aggression against other states, the Kremlin is trying to destroy the system of international relations established by the victorious states in World War II and the rules-based international order in which our security and well-being reside. The behavior of the Russian Federation is more reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

Aggressive Russia chose to disturb peace and tranquility in Europe, for which millions of people from different countries gave their lives. Russian experts in foreign policy – all they do today is coercion, intimidation, destruction of infrastructure, espionage and sabotage operations and political assassinations, and in relation to Ukraine they have become experts in destruction, expulsion of people and children, recolonization of lands, destroying entire cities, plundering, raping and enslaving the innocent civilian population.

Russian soldiers ruthlessly raped Ukrainian women, girls and children. They indiscriminately executed and killed hundreds of men, women and children. They bombed hospitals that treat the sick and dying, maternity hospitals where mothers were waiting for the birth of their children, schools and kindergartens. They turned summer camps for children into torture chambers. Allegedly believers, they destroyed more than 200 Orthodox churches as a result of their merciless rage and thirst for destruction.

Today, in multicultural Ukraine, no community is safe. The famous city of Mariupol and its environs, once a bastion of Greek identity and one of the largest Greek communities in the world, were razed to the ground by the so-called Russian “liberators”.

We learned the lessons of World War II very well.

A year after the start of the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has already gained a notorious reputation for his actions and has been convicted by the International Criminal Court as an international criminal for kidnapping children from Ukraine. The whole world is witnessing the monstrous crimes of the Kremlin, which are increasing every day.

On May 8, most people in the world remember the greatness of the victory over Nazism and honor the memory of all those who died in the war. And this day is dedicated to grief and memory, as well as the desire to never again allow the repetition of these atrocities.

The entire free and democratic world today is proud of Ukraine. European allies and partners around the world will continue to support the courageous people of Ukraine in their defense against the brutal aggression of the Kremlin, so that together we can achieve a better future of peace, unity and prosperity for ourselves, our children and grandchildren. – just like we did together almost 80 years ago.

We are at a crossroads: our choices and actions today – in favor of authoritarianism or in favor of democracy – tomorrow will determine the future of our world. Our unity in this time of unprecedented testing underscores our resolve. While President Putin sought to weaken Europe and our allies, his ruthless actions have only made us stronger. His attacks on civilians only strengthened the resolve of the whole world.

We did not seek this war. Today, only the Kremlin and Putin can put an end to this war. To succumb to the Kremlin’s aggression and accept President Putin’s brazen attempts to rewrite history and redraw borders through violence and massacres would destroy the foundations that made us all safer, with repercussions not only for Europe but for the entire world. That is why today, reflecting on the lessons learned, we must stand united on the right side of History.

So now we are fighting together for a free world, for a free Europe.

And we will win! This will be our Victory Day – Victory Day for Ukraine. Victory Day for Europe and the free world!

Mr. Sergey Sutenko is the Ambassador of Ukraine to Greece.