The Munich Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ) has announced its intention to publish Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which has been out of print in Germany since World War II, the BBC reported . In Russia, this work is included in the list of extremist materials.

IfZ plans to publish 4,000 copies of Mein Kampf in January 2016. The publication will be supplemented by approximately 3,500 notes from researchers who will “destroy the myth” around Hitler’s book, said the director of the institute, Andreas Wirsching. He noted that we are talking about the publication of “academic work”, far from the “irresponsible” publications without critical notes that can be found in second-hand booksellers, writes the Financial Times . According to the BBC , the work will be published in two volumes totaling almost 2,000 pages and will cost €59.

As the BBC notes, the decision to re-release Mein Kampf has already caused a sharp negative reaction from Jewish communities in Germany. The FT sought comment from the leading Jewish organization in Germany, the Central Jewish Council, but received no response.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already responded to the message about the republication of Hitler's work. “A strange way to combat the growing neo-Nazi tendencies in Europe!” — wrote the Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Konstantin Dolgov on Twitter. He added that Germany, in his opinion, “should be more active in seeking the disbandment of neo-Nazi battalions in Ukraine and the punishment of their militants for war crimes.”

Hitler wrote Mein Kampf while imprisoned in the 1920s, outlining the ideas of National Socialism. It was first published in 1925, eight years before Hitler came to power. After the defeat of the Nazis in 1945, the book's copyright was transferred to the Bavarian administration, which decided not to authorize the republication of the work to prevent incitement to hatred. According to German law, copyright protection lasts 70 years, and from January 2016 publishers will be able to freely access the source text. At the same time, the German Ministry of Justice has already announced that they intend to limit access to the text due to fears that it could fuel neo-Nazi sentiments.

Mein Kampf will be reissued in Germany for the first time in 70 years