VOA常速英语:俄罗斯大肆宣扬苏联传奇故事

The story goes like this, 28 Red Army soldiers in World War II, under the leadership of General Ivan Panfilov,bravely sacrificed their lives to fend off Nazi tanks attacking Moscow.

It was Soviet propaganda which state archives prove was mostly fabricated.

But Russia’s Ministry of Culture backed the film as well as an exhibit in Moscow, belittling those who question Soviet legends.

“There are always those who defend their heroes and there are always those who are against them,especially those who try to create a greater myth and drag it all through the dirt.”

The Soviet Union taught the legend of Panfilov’s 28 to every child as a fact of history.

Russian authorities’ efforts to maintain such legends,to the point of insulting historians, is drawing criticism.

“My response is that I’m not going to use the same language,but I would say that those people who think that their nation deserves neither historical truth nor the knowledge of how it really was do not respect their people.”

This re-enactment staged for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Moscow draws a crowd of hundreds despite the cold.

Russia’s aggressive defense of Soviet propaganda exploits a public urge to celebrate heroes and dismiss uncomfortable facts.

“There is a historical necessity for some legends.People did not go into battle without both legends, myths and ideas.”

In modern Russia, the battle is for the minds of the next generation, whether they will be taught factual history or simplified legends of greatness.

Daniel Schearf, VOA news, Moscow