"If they do not commemorate the start of World War II with Serbia and Russia, they will do this with those, who initiated the war," Vulin said as quoted by the Defence Ministry, adding that Poland's choice of guests showed that Poland stood in the same row with the nations that started the war.
Warsaw has decided against inviting Russian officials to the commemoration ceremony for the 80th anniversary of the WWII start due to what Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek called was Moscow’s indifference toward preserving "the spirit of historical truth." Serbia representatives did not receive the invitation either. At the same time, Warsaw invited its current NATO and EU allies, including Germany and the Eastern Partnership states.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that any such commemorative events in any country of the world cannot be considered meaningful without Russia’s participation.
Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, also criticised Poland’s decision, saying that the country had not put itself in "such a stupid situation" in a very long time.
World War II began with Nazi Germany invading Poland on 1 September 1939. On 17 September after the Polish government had left the country, the Red Army crossed the country's eastern border, which ultimately divided Poland into two parts, with one of them controlled by Germany, and the other by the Soviet Union.