Russia Rebukes Poland Over Warsaw Uprising Remarks

4 August 2004 -- Russia today rebuked Poland over remarks made by its foreign minister after ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising during World War II.
Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz on 2 August said Russia should apologize for the Soviet Army's failure to aid Polish insurgents fighting Nazi troops.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement says attempts to "blame allied forces" for the quelling of the uprising are "based on subjective views" that Moscow does not share. The statement also notes more than 600,000 Soviet soldiers died to liberate Poland from German occupation.

Western historians, however, agree that not only Soviet leader Josef Stalin failed to help the Warsaw insurgents, but he also blocked British and U.S. troops from airlifting weapons and supplies to Polish partisans.

Russia was not represented at the ceremonies on 1 August marking the anniversary of the uprising in Warsaw.

(ITAR-TASS)