War (47 photos)

Speech Radio deputy. Chairman of the SNK, Soviet Foreign Minister

VM Molotov in connection with the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union

June 22, 1941

12:00. 15 min.

"Citizens of the Soviet Union! The Soviet Government and its head, Comrade Stalin, have authorized me to make the following statement:

Today, at 4 am, without presenting any claims to the Soviet Union without a declaration of war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and was subjected to bombing from their airplanes our cities - Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, killing and wounding more than two hundred people. The raid enemy aircraft and artillery shelling were made also with the Romanian and Finnish territory.

This is unheard of attack on our country is unparalleled in the history of civilized nations perfidy. The attack on our country, despite the fact that between the USSR and Germany signed a nonaggression pact and the Soviet Government most faithfully abided by all the conditions of this contract. The attack on our country was perpetrated despite the fact that for all the duration of the contract, the German government never could submit any claims to the Soviet Union on the implementation of the agreement. All responsibility for this predatory attack upon the Soviet Union falls fully and completely on German fascist rulers.

After attacked the German ambassador in Moscow, Schulenburg, 5 hours and 30 minutes in the morning made me as the People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs statement on behalf of his government that the German government had decided to launch the war against the Soviet Union in connection with the concentration of Red Army near the eastern German boundary.

In response to this, I, on behalf of the Soviet government, it was stated that until the last minute, the German government makes no claims to the Soviet Government, that Germany attacked the Soviet Union, despite the peaceable position of the Soviet Union, and that thus the fascist Germany is the aggressor .

On behalf of the Government of the Soviet Union, I should also state that at no point, our troops and our aircraft were not allowed trespassing and therefore the statements made this morning by the Romanian radio that the alleged Soviet Air Force bombarded the Romanian airports, is a lie and a provocation. The same lie and provocation is the whole declaration made today by Hitler, who is trying belatedly to concoct accusations charging the Soviet Union about the non-Soviet-German pact.

Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet Government has ordered our troops - repulse the predatory assault and drive German troops from the territory of our country.

This war is imposed on us is not the German people, not by German workers krestyananmi and intellectuals, whose sufferings we well understand, but by the clique of bloodthirsty fascist rulers of Germany who have enslaved Frenchmen, Czechs, Poles, Serbs, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece and other nations .

The government of the Soviet Union expresses its unshakable confidence that our valiant army and navy and brave falcons of the Soviet Air Force with honor in performing their duty to the Motherland, the Soviet people and inflict a crushing blow to the aggressor.

Not the first time our people have to deal with the attack of an arrogant enemy. At the time of Napoleon's invasion of Russia our people responded Patriotic War and Napoleon was defeated, came to his doom. The same will happen with the arrogant Hitler, announced a new campaign against our country. The Red Army and our people will again wage victorious Patriotic War for the Motherland, for honor, for freedom.

The government of the Soviet Union expresses its firm conviction that the entire population of our country, all the workers, peasants and intellectuals, men and women, will conscientiously perform their duties, to his work. All our people must now stand solid and united as never before. Each of us must demand of ourselves and of others discipline, organization, dedication, worthy of real Soviet patriots, to ensure that all the needs of the Red Army, Navy and Air Force, to ensure victory over the enemy.

The government is calling you, citizens of the Soviet Union, more closely to close ranks around our glorious Bolshevik Party around our Soviet Government, around our great leader, Comrade Stalin. Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours! »