2nd LD Writethru: Putin slams attempts to rewrite WWII history

There are dangerous tendencies to rewrite history of the Second World War, which would distort the history conception of the youth, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday at a meeting.

These attempts are "cynical and vulgar lie about the entire generation which has preserved peace on Earth," intending to undermine modern Russia's moral authority and power, Putin said.

He added that the distortion of the WWII history also aims at stripping Russia off its status as victory country as well as the corresponding international and legal rights.

Putin ordered the organizing committee, established for the 70th anniversary celebration of the victory of the Anti-Fascist War on May 9 in Moscow, to effectively counter those worrying attempts.

"This is a very important work to involve the young people in preserving historical memory about the events of the Great Patriotic War, about the key role of the Soviet Union in the victory over Nazism," Interfax news agency quoted Putin as saying.

The president asked to make the anniversary celebrations part of "huge enlightenment and information work" at national and international levels.

Putin pointed out that Russia currently faces a challenge to withstand attacks on its traditions, maturity and unity.

"We need to consistently and firmly defend the truth about the war, the enormous contribution made by the Soviet people to the victory and the Soviet Union's unifying and decisive role in the destruction of Nazism." Endi