Appeal of Yuri Shcherbak, Chairman of the Board, Ukrainian-Polish Independent Media Forum, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, author to the Ukrainian and international community

Appeal of Yuri Shcherbak,

Chairman of the Board, Ukrainian-Polish Independent Media Forum, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, author

to the Ukrainian and international community

Dear friends,

In his interview to Tucker Carlson of February 9, 2024, the bloody Russian dictator Putin finally confirmed his neo-fascist nature trying to justify Hitler and accuse Poland of inciting World War II.

Putin's words that Hitler was allegedly FORCED to start a world war because of Poland's behavior are nothing more than a cynical attempt to revise the results of World War II and the judgment of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg (1945-1946), which established the undisputed guilt and responsibility of Hitler and his Nazi clique for planning, preparing and carrying out unprovoked aggression against Poland.

Let me remind you of some of the provisions of the indictment and verdict of the International Military Tribunal: "All the defendants entered into an agreement with each other, developed a detailed plan for conducting criminal operations... The plan drawn up by the criminals caused a 'total war'”.

It must be noted that as early as 1938, Hitler issued a directive to the German armed forces to prepare an attack on Danzig (Gdansk).

In yet another directive to the armed forces, Hitler wrote, "If Poland takes a threatening stance against Germany, IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO FINALLY DEAL WITH IT, DESPITE THE EXISTING TREATY WITH POLAND. Our aim... is to crush the Polish military power."

On May 23, 1939 Hitler announced his decision to attack Poland at a military meeting. He admitted that the reason for the attack was not the dispute with Poland over Danzig (Gdansk) but the need to expand Germany's "living space" and secure food supplies. Hitler added, "Therefore, there can be no question of pity for Poland, and we can only attack it at the first convenient opportunity... There will be war. Our task is to isolate Poland."

Hitler's main task was "the destruction of Poland".

The tribunal cites numerous examples of attempts to persuade Hitler not to start a war against Poland: "Hitler has received a number of appeals to prevent the Polish question from turning into a war, in particular from President Roosevelt on August 24-25, from His Holiness the Pope on August 24 and 31, and from Mr. Daladier, the French Prime Minister, on August 26 (1939). However, Hitler remained deaf to these appeals."

The Nuremberg verdict states that "the Tribunal considers it fully proven that the war started by Germany against Poland on September 1, 1939, was a clearly aggressive war that later could only turn into a war that engulfed almost the entire world."

It is only necessary to add to this impeccable legal and historical conclusion that on the eve of Germany's attack on Poland, the Soviet Union, as a result of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, became Hitler's ally and bears its share of responsibility for World War II.

Therefore, based on the above facts - the Verdict of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg (1946) - which has become an indisputable, generally accepted truth of the history of the twentieth century, I am addressing the public of Ukraine and the international community with an APPEAL.

I call for a broad campaign to bring Russian dictator Putin to justice for his attempt to whitewash Hitler and deny Soviet Union’s criminal role in inciting World War II; for the groundless accusation of Poland as a victim of German aggression; of provoking a war that caused millions of deaths or Poles and other ethnic groups, brought the Jewish people to the brink of extermination, caused terrible destruction, and is etched in memory by the unheard-of atrocities of the Nazis.

Today, we are witnessing Russia's unprovoked bloody aggression against Ukraine the victims of which are civilians, children, women, and the elderly; Russian invaders are committing numerous atrocities reminiscent of the crimes of the Nazis, German war criminals.

This horde of invaders is led by international war criminal Putin, a follower of Hitler with nuclear weapons in his hands.

I call on all the people of goodwill to stigmatize and condemn Putin - this newest Hitler who brings death and misery to Ukrainians, threatens all democratic peoples of the world with death and slavery!

We demand an international tribunal for Putin!

Yuri SHCHERBAK

February 12, 2024