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Poland snubs Russia ahead of WWII commemoration

(ANSA-AP) - WARSAW, 21 MAR - Polish authorities have refused to invite a Russian delegation to a commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. Krzysztof Szczerski, an aide to the Polish president, said on Wednesday in comments carried by the Polish news agency PAP that Russia has not been invited to the events in September due to its aggressive actions in Ukraine. Russia has been slapped with various international sanctions for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and ongoing support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Ministry late on Wednesday said in a statement that it was "bewildered" by the snub, and accused the Polish government of rewriting history to suit its political agenda. "Despite the critical contribution of our country to defeating Hitler's Germany and liberating Poland from Nazi invaders, there is no place for Russia there," the statement said. Some Polish politicians voiced their disagreement over the government's decision to snub Russia. Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, an ex-Communist who is now running for the European Parliament, said on Polsat TV on Thursday that "it is hard to talk about World War II without mentioning the armed effort of the Soviet Union." Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Poland 10 years ago and made a speech at the Westerplatte peninsula, in Gdansk, where the war began in September 1939, despite the fact that Russia's relations with Polish authorities of the time were tense. "If this is going to be a sign that they are not inviting him as punishment, then the Kremlin would only shrug," Miller said. On Sept. 17, 1939, the Red Army invaded Poland, carving it up jointly with Germany, an act that is still seen in Poland as a stab in the back. (ANSA-AP).