Europe today is a prosperous place because of the efforts of Soviet soldiers who died in the fight against Nazi Germany in World War II, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.
Medvedev arrived in Slovakia on Tuesday evening for an official visit to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava from the Nazis by the Soviet army.
"Our country has lost around a million people in the liberation of Europe; this is the huge price we have had to pay for Europe to be as beautiful, free and prosperous as it is today," he said while visiting a war memorial in Bratislava.
Medvedev said those who try to distort the history of World War II are insulting the memory of those who gave their lives.
"We should do everything possible so that our memories of those days are always preserved in future generations," he said.
Medvedev said many Russian veterans who had fought in Bratislava had returned to pay tribute to the memorial.
"We want all of them to preserve the truth about the war and about the price our people have paid for as long as possible," he said.
BRATISLAVA, April 7 (RIA Novosti)
