The Stance of the Russian Federation under Vladimir Putin toward the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

Abstract

The article presents the stance of politicians, historians, and publicists under the rule of Vladimir Putin towards the agreement signed on 23 August 1939 between the foreign ministers of the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. The pact divided Central Europe between the two totalitarian powers. The author analyses the change in tactics of the Russian president and his acolytes on the issue over the past twenty years. He concludes that the approach of the Russian head of state and his supporters towards the agreement was strictly conditioned by the internal situation and the deterioration of the relations of the Russian Federation with Western countries and Poland.