"The court's investigation found that the young man had made a post on social media featuring a photo of German soldiers from the World War II era. Under the photo, he made comments giving a positive evaluation of the events that took place September 1, 1939, namely the invasion of Poland by Germany, which have been recognized by an international tribunal to have been a crime," Khegai explained.
The criminal case against the teen was opened in May. The youth was charged under a new bill imposing criminal liability for public attempts to rehabilitate Nazism. The relevant amendments were made to the criminal code ahead of the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazism. The law carries a maximum fine of up to 300,000 rubles or imprisonment for up to three years.
German forces attacked Poland on September 1, 1939. The fight for Warsaw lasted until September 28, after which the country faced four long years of occupation by Nazi Germany. The territories of western Ukraine and western Belarus captured by Poland during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921 were absorbed by the Soviet Union. Tens of thousands of Poles and an estimated 600,000 Soviet soldiers lost their lives during the course of fighting to liberate Poland between 1944 and 1945.
