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Brest, Belarus: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in remarks aimed at some former Soviet republics, condemned on Sunday what he described as attempts to rewrite wartime history.
In a joint declaration marking the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union 67 years ago, Medvedev and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko denounced a "politicised approach to history".
No countries were named, but Ukraine and the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have increasingly challenged Moscow's interpretation of history, saying that their nationals suffered from both Soviet and Nazi oppression.
Medvedev and Lukashenko said their countries "strongly condemn any attempt at rewriting history and revision of the results of World War Two".
"A selective, politicised approach to history should be set against honest, scientific debate," the two leaders said in the Belarussian town of Brest, where Nazi forces first crossed the Soviet border on June 22, 1941.
"Only on this basis can Europe draw the lessons of history and avoid a tragic repetition of the errors of the past."
Lessons of past
The presidents also condemned racism and nationalism - charges Moscow has levelled against the Baltic states.
"The lessons of the past form a solid foundation for the joint fight against any manifestations of racism, aggressive nationalism and xenophobia," the statement said.
Russia says large Russian-speaking minorities in Estonia and Latvia have been denied basic rights, including Russian-language education, against a background of strong anti-Russian sentiment.
Russia has also chided Ukraine for taking steps since the mid-1990s to grant some form of recognition as combatants to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, guerrillas who fought both Nazi and Soviet troops to secure an independent state.
The issue generates debate in Ukraine, where commemorations expose the country's split into the nationalist west and centre and the Russian-speaking east, more sympathetic to Moscow. Medvedev also reaffirmed Russia's support for steps to create a "union state" with Belarus - planned since the mid-1990s but with little concrete progress so far.
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