May 9 events in Lvov result of political gamble-Ukraine ForMin

"As the years go by with those momentous events becoming more remote, ever more circumstantial elements are brought into discussions of the course and legacy of the Second World War," the statement says.

Dikusarov noted that the homage to the memory of the fallen and respect for veterans are at times "replaced with an attempt to make a show of patriotism and divide the nations into more deserving and less deserving successors of the victors of Nazism." "The Ukrainian authorities have rebuffed and will be rebuffing resolutely any manifestations of enmity and radicalism that are intolerable and, on the whole, uncharacteristic of Ukrainian society," the statement says.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that Ukraine has understanding for the Russian side being particularly sensitive to problems of extremism and xenophobia. "We are ready jointly to fight this evil," the statement says.

The Foreign Ministry deplores the fact that in Ukraine and in Russia there are politicians who "got used to gaining political capital by provoking tension in bilateral relations." "It is our common duty to prevent them from emerging in the center of the political arena. Regrettably, the response of the Russian side to the events in Lvov shows that tools from the repertoire of past anti-Ukrainian campaigns are still in use, sources in the Foreign Ministry noted. "We are convinced that Ukraine and Russia will show the world the example of tolerance and mutual respect to such sensitive matters as historic memory and state identity," the statement says.