EN|FR|RU
Follow us on:

Andrey DENISOV: “Historical truth should not give way to opportunistic interpretations”

Yuliya Novitskaya, January 27, 2025

In the final part of the interview with the senator and First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, Andrey Ivanovich DENISOV, we spoke about why the world order, created following the Second World War, is currently undergoing a serious breakdown and about the coming celebration of the 80th anniversary of victory in the Second World War in Russia and China.

Additionally, we also spoke about the fact that China loves and is interested in our culture, as well the Chinese folk song ‘Moscow Nights’.

– The years 2024 and 2025 have been declared the Years of Culture of Russia and China. A massive number of large-scale events are taking place. Andrey Ivanovich, you have worked in China for many years and have been the Russian ambassador to China for almost ten years. Are they interested in our culture in China? Do they know it, love it?

China, together with Russia, is ready to firmly defend the fruits of victory in the Second World War

– They are interested in it, they know it and they love it. Moreover, sometimes we have even gotten into awkward situations (smiles). When we performed some of our Russian popular songs with the Chinese, it turned out that our Chinese friends knew all the words, but we only knew one verse and the chorus – at best.

– I know that in China, for example, they have the joke: ‘and now the Chinese folk song ‘Moscow Nights’ is sounding’. Is that true?

– Yes! Indeed, both ‘Moscow Nights’ and ‘Katyusha’ are incredibly popular with them. Also, ‘Oh, Viburnum blooms’. It somehow fits very well in Chinese and I can confirm this, I myself sang with Chinese friends. By the way, in terms of the text, this is a rare case of an identical and adequate translation.

To some extent, this comes from the 50s, when our country, with its rather highly developed culture, was a kind of window to the outside world for China at that time. Our ballet, visual arts, cinematography and music all influenced the formation of the new art of Chinese folk in one way or another. It was exactly then that our ballet, the Alexandrov Red Army Choir and the Igor Moiseyev State Ensemble toured China.…

All of this is still ongoing. Within the framework of the intersectional ‘years of culture’, many large-scale performances have taken place, for example the performance of the Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Valery Gergiev at the Great Wall of China. Our Russian art is really popular in China; it is well known and people are interested in it.

Another thing is that there are different genres. For example, show business, though even here, from time to time, extremely popular creative personalities arise. At one time it was the singer Vitas, now Polina Gagarina. They are worthy competitors of, say, Korean K-pop, which is very popular among Chinese youth.

Furthermore, there are interesting genres where we can learn from one another. For example, theatre, which in China has its own specifics and, I should remind you, a thousand-year history. Lately, it is cinema. We have a lot of very interesting scenarios that we could realise jointly.

– Apparently, sometimes it is just difficult to come to an agreement?

– This is most likely the case, yes, although, in my opinion, there are prospects. If we are talking about Chinese cinema, then it is among the world leaders. Actors and directors from China win first prizes at various international festivals. At the same time, Russian cinematographers are treated with great respect in China. I believe that we should do more joint projects in the field of cinema, as well as in mass media, for example on television. Of course, we cooperate with China in this area, but this is a case where initiatives are more striking than their results.

All in all, we have a lot to work on and it seems to me that recently our interest in traditional Chinese culture, and even in learning the Chinese language, despite its complexity, has been seriously increasing. Myself being a Sinologist, this makes me very happy. Thus, we have a broad scope to work with here and good prospects.

– At the end of our conversation, I would like to talk about the preservation of historical memory. The words of Chinese President Xi Jinping, spoken back in 2020, are today, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism, more relevant than ever: “China, together with Russia, is ready to firmly defend the fruits of victory in the Second World War, international justice and the world order, to support the principles of multilateralism, as well as creating ‘lasting world peace’. Russian and Chinese diplomacy has repeatedly accused the United States, the West and Japan of open revanchism and non-recognition of the results of World War II. In this struggle, diplomats and politicians, along with historians, are at the forefront. What role do parliamentarians and, in particular, the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which you are the First Deputy Chair, play in this?

– As for the words of Chinese President Xi Jinping, they were uttered on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the victory over fascism. Now we are on the eve of the 80th anniversary, but these words are just as relevant and, I would say, heartfelt. Moreover, in five or ten years we could easily repeat them.

As you know, both China and Russia suffered the greatest casualties during the Second World War. China fought the longest; World War II began there in 1937 with the Japanese attack, even in 1931, when the Japanese created the puppet state of Manchukuo in the vast Chinese northeast, which was actually completely subordinated to Japan. That is, a significant part of Chinese territory was simply torn off by the Japanese aggressor and occupied. The number of victims, according to Chinese statistics, exceeds 30 million people, which is comparable to the losses of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.

– We call World War II the Great Patriotic War…

– In China it also has its own name: the War of Resistance against Japan and for the salvation of the Motherland. Sometimes it is also called the War against Japan. China, just as we do, celebrates Victory Day in this war, [only] on September 3.

Recently we have increased our public attention to the war in the Far East. Thus, in the coming year, both Moscow and Beijing intend to celebrate both of these dates, i.e. the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany and the victory over Japan. It has already been confirmed and announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Moscow during the celebration of Victory Day in May. This is a great event for us and a sign of our neighbours’ respect for our history. We have the same high respect for the heroic history of our eastern neighbour.

As for the differing interpretations not so much of the history of the Second World War itself as of its outcome, I would not say that they are not recognised in the West. They recognise it because the West, primarily the United States and Great Britain, were among the winners in this war.

– But they tend to belittle the role and contribution of the Soviet Union and China in the victory over Nazi fascism and Japanese militarism.

–That is true. The most important thing is that, as a result of the Second World War, a certain world order was created, which is now undergoing a serious breakdown. And those countries that were defeated as a result of the Second World War, Germany and Japan, are actively involved in this. We are now seeing outright militaristic manifestations and this cannot but worry us.

These issues are also in the field of view of our parliamentary diplomacy and maybe even in our parliamentary diplomacy itself to a greater extent. After all, what is a parliament? It is a concentrated expression of the public opinion of voters and the opinion of regions and regional legislative bodies. Therefore, for us, these are not some historical facts, but rather facts from our lives, our memory, our respect for this memory and our willingness (which, I must say, has always been there, starting with allied relations during the Second World War) to cooperate with partners in realising the results of the peace achieved at a very high cost 80 years ago.

Unfortunately, here we find less and less understanding from our opponents. It is no coincidence that Japan is already reaching the point of absurdity: some of its public opinion, especially among young people, attributes the nuclear and atomic bombings of Japan not to those who committed them, but to us, our country. It is very painful to fathom and it cannot help but be disturbing.

Historical truth should not give way to free, momentary, opportunistic interpretations. This is exactly what we are discussing with China and what we are striving for, including within the framework of our parliamentary diplomacy. From the parliamentary angle, we are going to take part in events in both Russia and China to commemorate the results of the Second World War and to reaffirm our commitment to the principles that were developed at that time, which served as the basis for the creation of the United Nations and its charter. This will also become part of our approach to anniversaries.

– Andrey Ivanovich, thank you for the interesting, relevant and honest interview. We wish for your work to be fruitful!

 

Interview by Yulia NOVITSKAYA, writer and correspondent for New Eastern Outlook

More on this topic
Will the Real Holocaust Survivor Please Stand Up?
The liberation of Auschwitz: how hatred of Russia distorts historical truth
A worrying reality: Neither Russia nor China can be contained
«When the cold unites hearts»
Formalisation of the West’s defeat in front of Russia