Russian rabbi blasts Ukraine move

MOSCOW, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Ukraine's honoring of a World War II nationalist who was briefly allied with Nazi Germany promotes distorted views, Russia's chief rabbi said Tuesday.

Rabbi Berl Lazar told Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin a decision by outgoing Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko to award the honorary title of national hero to World War II and anti-Soviet partisan Stepan Bandera promotes a "false and distorted" view of the activities of his Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, RIA Novosti reported.

Russia views the group as terrorists who took up common cause with German Nazis in its quest to gain independence for Ukraine from the Soviet Union. Lazar agreed with that assessment, telling Putin, "Unfortunately, what we see in Ukraine is terrifying. This is unacceptable for us. We Jews will never forget what the Red Army did for us in World War II."

RIA Novosti said Putin promised to keep close track on debates over "the distortion of history and Holocaust denial."