Russia and Ukraine Battle Over Their Shared History

Fresh from their conflict over gas in January, Ukraine and Russia are again in the midst of a heated battle — this time about the countries’ shared Soviet past. As Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko this week lamented that Ukraine had become “a hostage in the fight between two totalitarian regimes — fascist and communist” and called for Soviet-era symbols around the country to be torn down, his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev ordered the creation of a presidential commission “to counter attempts to harm Russian interests by falsifying history.” These latest salvoes represent an intensification of the ongoing war of words between the two countries over their closely linked histories.

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Nazi war crimes trial ‘could be last of its kind’

The forthcoming trial in Germany of John Demjanjuk could be the last occasion on which a Nazi war crimes suspect faces prosecution. But the legacy of decades-old efforts to bring the perpetrators of World War II atrocities to justice means that those who commit similar offences in the 21st century will not be able to hide from their past so easily, according to a leading war crimes prosecutor. Many leading Nazis such as Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess and Albert Speer were prosecuted by the main allies — the U.S., the Soviet Union and the UK — shortly after the end of the war at the Nuremberg Trials

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Russia announces major arms buildup

Russia is planning a "comprehensive rearmament" of its military, President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday. The announcement comes amid concerns in Moscow over the performance of its forces during last year’s invasion of Georgia, an expert on the Russian military told CNN.

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