Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, in his statement on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, wrote that "Russian citizens are direct descendants and successors of the generation of victors.

Auschwitz survivors warned of the dangers of rising antisemitism on Monday, as they marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp by Soviet troops in one of the last such gatherings of those who experienced its horrors.

Some of the few remaining survivors of Auschwitz returned to the Nazi death camp on Monday, condemning a "huge rise" in anti-Semitism on the 80th anniversary of its liberation.