Historian Geoffrey Roberts says Soviet role in defeating Nazism is underestimated

Geoffrey Roberts says Western understanding of the Soviet Union's contribution to defeating Nazi Germany remains inadequate. The emeritus history professor at University College Cork in Ireland made the assessment in an interview published by RIA Novosti on October 11.

Roberts described a failure to appreciate the USSR's central role as the most widespread Western misconception about the Second World War. He acknowledged that some people in Western countries do recognise the scale of the Soviet contribution. His assessment concerned the broader pattern of understanding rather than every individual.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also discussed historical memory in a June interview with RIA Novosti. She said Russia was promoting an accurate account of the Second World War in response to what she described as European attempts to distort its history.