We are indignant over the desecration of the Monument to Soviet Soldiers in the centre of Athens. They lost their lives fighting for the freedom and independence of Greece in 1941-1944. This monument is one of the central venues for celebrating Victory Day every year. Unidentified individuals painted Nazi logos on the monument in yellow and wrote the title of the Ukrainian nationalist battalion Azov on it. Over the years, this battalion conducted punitive operations in Donbass and committed crimes against Mariupol civilians.

This case is unprecedented for Greece whose people offered fierce resistance to the German Nazi invaders during World War II. Greeks sincerely appreciate the memory of the Soviet soldiers who freed Europe from the Nazis.

We strongly condemn this crime. We consider it a direct consequence of the anti-Russia hysteria unleashed by the local media. The continuous lop-sided and patently distorted coverage of events in Donbass, and support for the Kiev regime have let those who are willing to bury Russian-Greek common history and memory off the leash, all for the sake of questionable goals.

We are grateful to the empathic Greek citizens and Russian compatriots for their prompt cleanup of the monument.

We urge the Greek authorities to find and strictly punish the vandals to prevent a repetition of such unacceptable incidents. The Russian Embassy in Athens immediately sent a relevant note to the Foreign Ministry of Greece. We are waiting for an update on the results of the investigation.