On 29 August, the city of Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, hosted the celebrations dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising against the Nazi invaders, at which the Russian Federation was represented by Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu. The Russian delegation was warmly welcomed in Slovakia, where people remember Russia's major contribution to the liberation of the Slovak people from the German occupation.

But on its way back, a flagrant incident occurred, with the Polish side, which had allowed the Russian flyover to Slovakia, refusing to let through the Russian plane as it returned to Moscow, allegedly for technical reasons.

The Russian delegation had to urgently return to Bratislava in view of a shortage of fuel, which created a real threat to flight safety. It was only after a vigorous demarche on our part that the Polish authorities consented to reaffirm their earlier permission to let the plane fly over Poland.

These actions in themselves cannot be qualified as anything other than a gross violation of the norms and ethics of interstate communication, and, in the context of the celebrations in Slovakia, other than a blasphemous move against the historical memory and services of those who saved Europe from Nazism.

It is quite clear that Warsaw's actions will not be left without adequate response.

29 August 2014