this is r.t. from moscow a very good evening to you for me kevin now in our top stories tonight russia's holdings are celebrations to mark sixty six years since the victory over nazi germany in world war two moscow's festivities began with a military parade which involved a record number of troops marching through red square. and in western ukraine the holidays been marked nationalism physically and verbal assaults and veterans paying tribute to the fallen world war two instance i think the fear is that it's not see glorification is growing area. in other news fighting has intensified in the libyan

lifeline port of misrata with nato bombings failing to break the siege of the city it comes as the mounting cost of air raids and the clear aims of the campaign triggered protests in denmark which is a coalition member country. take thirty one pm now moscow time that starts he talks to a leading war story about the soviet contribution to victory over the nazis. day is very special to all russians almost every family in russia has someone who died fighting the nazis to talk about how that war is perceived now more than sixty five years later i'm joined by a professor of history and international relations jeffrey roberts from university college cork. who wrote a number of books devoted to the world war two and joseph stalin professor thank

you very much for being here now your views are often challenging the widely accepted perceptions let's start with the second world war twenty seven million people lost their lives in what here in russia is called the great patriotic war how many people worldwide do you actually know how big this figure is i think it's a shock it's a shock to the supply side of russia and the former soviet union that the cost of that war. going to the statistics or canonical you compare twenty million soviet with the british it was something less than four hundred. troops killed you know. so the casualties in the world because of all other countries in fact there was many years all accomplished in point here so i think it's shocking it was rather surprising when there was i think the sacrifices of the

sort of people have for or are quite well known now those particularly since the end of the cold war there's been. progress recognition of the soviet role in the second world war i think most people globally about the war it's all would agree with except it was probably the soviet union that. made great sacrifices was the greatest victory of the more than win the war zone by any means it won in the socialization. the united states and other countries but nevertheless you know the soviet union was the key to victory over the nazis and so. what is the historian do you feel there is a tendency to rewrite history where there's always a tendency to rewrite history isn't a particular politician it's people are not a story and yet every country has its own perspective on the war and every country sees the war from some perspective and the same is true of russia so for example one example of russians was stressing of the role of winning the war as someone

who's as british i would stress britain's role in the early part of the war in standing alone against it when the soviet union was a neutral come from the it was a kind of alliance with nazi germany so so every country sees it from a different place he's a different emphasis i don't see that as a problem if you say that's come natural part of the discussion about all aspects of a story that goes on let's take a modern young generation is there a deficit of historical knowledge and you're very definitely yes which is why. the television stations like yours to devote so much time to history yes i think there is there's a deficit in russia and in our you know love of country but let's take for example the united states if we're talking about the knowledge deficit i wonder just how many americans think that the united states won the second world war singlehandedly i think probably in the case the united states is probably more even and so the

general picture of the war than there is in other countries so it's probably less to this probably less recognition of the role of other countries in the war in the united states than elsewhere not doesn't just apply to russia of course is also. not sufficient recognition of the role that britain played in the war and this prickly complaints in britain about as you say the holy war does. of the war and presenting it as it was the americans the one the one having said that of course united states did play a very important role in the war was the soviet union's not in support of my supply list but i was i would people say that i should recognize our country's roles as well particular calls the russian contribution the soviet contribution to the war last year when russia commemorated the sixty fifth anniversary of a three day a russian research center found that most russians believe that the red army the

soviet union could have defeated hitler without western assistance as a historian do you think it's your prey's on part of the russians know what r.p. is who brought something it's true you could have if it's it nazi germany on its own but it would have taken them a lot longer and a much spread across some of course it would have taken the country much longer from cutting off the subsequent war so yes the soviet union didn't alternately needed to win the war but. it's a launch with particular you know so some great britain. helped to win the war quickly done with all the boys. in your books collins was from world war two the cold war for focuses on stalin obviously in one of your interviews you said he was a key historical figure. twentieth century but he also said that you had a lot of respect for him why the word respect. i'm not sure used the word oh maybe

i did we're used to work for suspects but some people accused me of being a star in which i'm not so but having studied him very closely for many years i'm very impressed but i started know if you want to call being impressed and respect i'm not sure it's extra work but what are you selling price was not books dollars was is that you know what stolidly. shit with his contribution it's very possible. quite probable that the soviet union would have lost the world must not consider him to be that important historical figure if that's true and of course he's the most important figure of the mid twentieth century that none of the most important think is of the twentieth century or so even more important than him i think but you know if i may be impressed by stalin but i'm also very critical of studying particularly the many crimes that were committed by human but his regime

should be criticised used in court by your price for his role in the correct will but criticised for his dictatorial rule. so what in your opinion was his role in winning the second world war i think the most important thing about his role was that he felt he was in the. end. he. is the cohesion of his leadership and the people of the group of people around him and i think you also inspire confidence inspiring confidence not just in these. cool and among the soviet in the but among the soviet population. in general so you know he's the kind of the symbol that holds the whole country to get out of the critical early months of will to know that he's also the ninth of the soviet war with put

the whole war with the revolves around him about his abilities as a whole and eyes as an administrator as a poor not so as a lead to so i don't really think you can you cannot underestimate stalin's role if he's he was indispensable and i doubt that anyone could have taken his place what about churchill roosevelt how did they perceive. what i perceived him very positively they were great friends of his. most. and the three leaders go on very well with all time sonnets. i'm still to this noble point of course you know my kind of positive view of starling as a war leader is not unique to me i mean it's a view that spits widely shared not just in russia but also among western historians and of course at the time of some of the cheering the war it during the second north will there was widespread recognition of the importance of so stalin

was not just a great hero of the soviet people during the second world war he was the great hero of the all the allied peoples as well including the regular hero to stalin. churchill and roosevelt but they certainly. greatly. appreciated to see his role in the world that contemporary if you are installing post if you well gets lost the second world war in the context of the outbreak of the cold war the failure to break down the ground once between the soviet union and united states i would say. stalin and the soviet side was not a. good one st. a cold war you know and i try to avoid a culturally diete to a cold war broke out. but i went to great lengths to actually bring the cold war. to an end so the western side of the cold war as broken up it was

a much more positive engagement with the cold war whereas on the subject saw it there was a reluctance to become both in the cold war and in a continuous efforts to revive you know the ground what's one of the great feats of post-war sort of foreign policy is a desire to retire so but around a lot and there is an initiative in russia these days still officially recognized crimes of status that's what i thought. and regime some go as far as stalin and hitler. i level. do you believe their historical equals. type i think stalin's crimes very different from those crimes under stalin wasn't a genocide. astounding was. a star utopian and he believed that it was necessary to use violence to achieve his utopia i was parked at private schools it was called mission tokyo

a lot of people of people people who started to see dismayed he's enemies and the enemies of the soviet system. can't kill people because both of their rice style they have people killed because of what he saw has been their politics and ideology now imbalance i think that's that's better i mean a genocidal killer like kill them because the thing about stalin is you know stalin defeated hitler had hit the one the war what would have happened there would have been the nazi dome in one thousand europe and ethnic cleansing of mass and the genocide on a few concert in full scope for me there's no greater historical criminal than hitler stalin. was killed. i would probably be missing the us a little but do you believe that's an opinion widely shared outside the circle of historians well i think the idea that stalin and hitler. equals as

criminals of course is very much in the idea of the cold war and for the idea that it took root for the political and then many people in the west maybe also not that you want to continue the cold war in some form in one of the ways they pursued the cold war through this particular school struggle including about war and clued in about stalin and hitler so it's an idea that does have. quite widespread appeal but i think that you know my real most people but a lot of people would recognize that stalin did a lot of good as eyes of all of us as well as a lot of that stalin you know. played a huge role historically what was was of service to humanity as a whole and actually winning or helping so we circle world war professor roberts thank you for this and thank you.

yes my name is daniel smith this is julia from we're here to make a short position about that we can fix project. the first. in the fourth date if you can get information out about the real world. through him war on and on anger. secrecy is the biggest. going to be a democracy if you. find it difficult and sauces and dangerous you would hunt me down and kill. this is exactly one of the reasons why we left the project because it has become more about this all james bond. than all the actual information. but thank you. so all

the people around the world. like me. russia is holding vast celebrations to mark sixty six years since the victory over nazi germany and world war two the moscow's festivities began with a military parade which involved the record number of troops marching through red square. meantime in western ukraine the holidays pre-modern nationalists of physically and verbally assaulted veterans paying tribute to the fall of world war two the instance added to fears that the nazi glorification is growing in the area . and fightings intensified the libyan lifeline court of misrata with nato bombing failing to break the siege of the city it comes as the mounting cost of a raids on the unclear aims of the campaign triggered protests in denmark which is

a coalition member country. twenty forty five moscow time thanks for the snow and thank you union for being here with the sport as well what a day it's played the king of clay dethroned that is exactly right north georgia which not only did he feel dull the king of clear as you said but he also did so in his home country in dritte although we have nice of them for the first grand slam of the year and you know we got the french open coming up very very shortly the same time we're going to have a look at the latest title in just a moment. i'm great to have you with us this is sports today plenty ahead including all this. hitting the heights champion's league moved to joint top of the russian premier league following a draw with fellow title hopefuls luck on the t.v. . battlefield two sports field veterans from the

second world war gather at moscow's genome a stadium true remember to treat a. serbian sensation novak djokovic plus's rafael nadal in the madrid masters final to stay on track here. is where we begin they could have taken sole control of the summit but seventy eight are nevertheless top of the table in the russian premier league today this in petersburg side moving alongside surprise packages. following a one one draw with luck on the t.v. their game still screw us wins and losses the goalkeeper bitches love mafia have to need dri belorussian international yuri jeff know filling in from the fifty six minutes in words but that didn't seem to overly worried the home side at first in fact it was a neat billy from the spot some eight minutes later through to uncle loves of it the really man though answered within moments nikon the man heading home but really

back up jeff nov should have done better won one but finished up in the northern calcutta. elsewhere on car moved out of the drop zone after beating sparks act moscow rubina soft new boys cross those are recovering from a one goal deficit in the process on the days moscow darby ended up between the nama and siesta. it's a victory day here in russia in the country marking fifth the. it's of the nazi germany in the second world war the spike the horrors of that period russia saw a number of sporting greats emerge as rich folk with fate reports back in the one nine hundred forty s. especially on the kind of force terrorized hitler's troops and fought in one of the most deadly battles in world history but back of moscow which started in one nine hundred forty one it was an arduous time for all involved but what qualities helped these men to survive the war. when i as the commander had to enlist the locals to

my brigade i chose those who weren't complaining that it was too hard for them if they complained i told them immediately they were no good for my team therefore injurious was the most crucial quality many sportsman volunteered for the arms won their vision and many would later become champions in disciplines such as boxing athletics speed skating and weightlifting sadly only a small number of these veterans will be able to take part in the reunion but every year those who are still wet nurse comes of it enormous stadium where the division was formed in one nine hundred forty one and commemorate those who passed away and celebrate victory day. in one hundred forty one when we were retreating we had to make a huge trip back we were literally falling asleep while walking and most were carrying rifles beyond our backs and hitting your head against a rifle really midweek up so it was very difficult but we made it the main purpose

of arms upon an acronym which translates as be independent special purpose motorized brigade was to serve on the home front usually very crude entrusted with the most dangerous missions such as helping units under tank and defending important crossings equally crucial was by working reconnaissance as partisans and radio work in misinforming the enemy. the be. one of the members of almost on its base form a gym now spotted skull peered in he took up gymnastics when he was just fourteen years old and by sixteen he'd volunteered for the soviet army and from the beginning sport played a crucial factor in his survival. i recalled once we had to go on a survey mission and we had to hide and stay practically motionless for three days

our task was to observe and determine which way the enemy's traffic was going and those guys who weren't athletic would even black out royal we well i would say was nothing to us but we could handle it we could do it we were fit enough that helped us a lot after the war gul paid in state in the army his job was to train the red army recruits in gymnastics to make them fit how are they have plenty of other interests here he proudly shows a photo with his friend the legendary saudi and great. and he had a major impact in helping the fight spider become one of the world's greatest ever goalkeepers and when the novel moscow was caused by you question and best scoff they invited me to give exercise classes to their football team players so when they weren't playing i gave them classes in our gymnastics quarters of the denominate club mainly i train them to do some acrobatics so that they could for instance fall without hurting themselves and it is eighty four year and still

remains passionate about sports especially gymnastics and the village misuse that engine is meant to do you see it we want to be graceful and it may be some easy routine but we wanted to be performed at a very high level then it's a sight to adore while what happens now is you see an athlete do a triple turn a triple somersault and that's a very hard thing. to do good it doesn't really impress a nonprofessional when they see it true day is very important to be's veterans who played a pivotal role in the red army during the second world war however it's equally impressive how these men went on to have such exceptional sporting careers and i still remember today feats on both the battle i'm sports fields or john paul three don't see moscow in tennis rafael that tells thirty eight match winning run on clay has come to an end novak djokovic beating the spaniard for the first ever time on the surface in the madrid masters decider were number two georgia which was seeking

to extend a stunning record of his own serve on beating for twenty eleven even to reach thirty four consecutive wins on sunday evening lawson top seed for nothing though showing his class for their efforts like this at the start of the second set but overall djokovic has dictated play needing just to sestak came the cry and from the defending champion seven five six four how it ended joker left to celebrate a sixty eighty p. title off the season. like you know good or do i didn't miss the. winning it is right for the first place or it's a. perfect place to. be to. go to you know i always believe the first of all the world is that. great. a man on fire well let's finish where we started with the russian premier league

twenty strikes and all through and over the weekend only one of the eight matches finishing scoreless so just in case you missed any here you go it's cold. the sun.

that's your lot for this hour weather's next i'll see you soon. for the. we've got. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers.