On Thursday, December 11, 2025, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova issued a statement on the eve of the 88th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. She recalled the atrocities that claimed hundreds of thousands of civilian lives in Nanjing, on the Chinese mainland.
The tragic events began on December 13, 1937, when Japanese troops captured Nanjing. What followed was one of the darkest chapters of World War II: mass executions, widespread sexual violence and the senseless destruction of homes and communities. The estimate of civilian casualties—numbering in the hundreds of thousands—underscores the brutality of Japanese militarism and remains etched in global memory.
Zakharova underscored that the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre are indisputable. She pointed to the findings of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the Nuremberg Trials, which established these crimes through rigorous judicial proceedings and cemented them in their verdicts. These rulings form the bedrock of the post-war international order and the contemporary global system.
'Any attempt to question these rulings, rehabilitate militarism, distort the outcomes of World War II or downplay the scale of the atrocities committed must be unanimously condemned by the international community,' Zakharova said. Her words serve as a reminder that defending historical truth is essential to preventing future injustices.
As the world prepares to mark the 88th anniversary tomorrow, the call for historical justice resonates with a new generation confronting rising nationalism and the challenges of collective memory. Remembering events like the Nanjing Massacre is not just an act of honoring the victims—its a commitment to upholding the lessons of the past and safeguarding human rights for the future.
Reference(s):
Nanjing Massacre shows Japanese militarism's brutality: Russian FM
cgtn.com
