Forwarded from Russian Embassy in the UK
May 9, on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, H.E. Ambassador Andrei Kelin and Russian diplomats laid flowers and wreaths at the Soviet War Memorial in London.
The commemorative ceremony was also attended by CIS countries’ Ambassadors, members of the Russian Speaking Community Council and the Russian diaspora in the UK.
Other events took place in Edinburgh, Errol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and other cities.
#9May #WeRemember #Victory79 #GreatVictory
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🕯 June 22 marks the Day of Memory and Sorrow in Russia.
At dawn on June 2️⃣2️⃣, 1941, enemy aviation launched massive attacks on airfields, railway stations, Soviet naval bases and numerous cities along the entire western state border to a depth of up to 250-300 km.
This opened one of the most tragic chapters in our country’s history. The Great Patriotic War broke out.
Hitler had a lightning war in mind. Operation Barbarossa implied a crushing defeat of the Red Army and the defeat of the Soviet Union within a few months with the help of the hitherto faultless blitzkrieg tactics.
Romania, Italy and other countries joined Germany to form a united front against the Soviet Union.
However, the Red Army’s fierce resistance and the efforts of all Soviet people foiled the Third Reich’s plans.
🎙 The news about German invasion and the beginning of the war was announced over the radio. At noon on June 22 the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.Molotov addressed the Soviet citizens with a phrase that went down in history:
“Ours is a righteous cause. The enemy shall be defeated. Victory will be ours”.
The Great Patriotic War lasted 1418 days and nights and ended on May 9, 1945 with the victory of the Soviet Union and the complete rout of the Nazi bloc.
❗️ The Soviet people perished amounts to 40% of all human losses in WWII, i.e. 26.6 million people! Of them, more than 8.7 million died in combat, 7.42 million were intentionally exterminated by the Nazis in the occupied territories, and over 4.1 million died from the atrocious conditions of the occupation regime.
• Since 2009, the day marked by the Candle of Memory nationwide action. Candles are lit throughout Russia in the silence of the night in memory of all those who died during the Great Patriotic War protecting our peaceful life.
Since 2020, an annual nationwide minute of silence has been held at 12:15 Moscow time the exact time when the Soviet government announced Nazi Germany’s invasion.
🔗 Read our full material for more information
#Victory79 #WeRemember
At dawn on June 2️⃣2️⃣, 1941, enemy aviation launched massive attacks on airfields, railway stations, Soviet naval bases and numerous cities along the entire western state border to a depth of up to 250-300 km.
This opened one of the most tragic chapters in our country’s history. The Great Patriotic War broke out.
Hitler had a lightning war in mind. Operation Barbarossa implied a crushing defeat of the Red Army and the defeat of the Soviet Union within a few months with the help of the hitherto faultless blitzkrieg tactics.
Romania, Italy and other countries joined Germany to form a united front against the Soviet Union.
However, the Red Army’s fierce resistance and the efforts of all Soviet people foiled the Third Reich’s plans.
🎙 The news about German invasion and the beginning of the war was announced over the radio. At noon on June 22 the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.Molotov addressed the Soviet citizens with a phrase that went down in history:
“Ours is a righteous cause. The enemy shall be defeated. Victory will be ours”.
The Great Patriotic War lasted 1418 days and nights and ended on May 9, 1945 with the victory of the Soviet Union and the complete rout of the Nazi bloc.
❗️ The Soviet people perished amounts to 40% of all human losses in WWII, i.e. 26.6 million people! Of them, more than 8.7 million died in combat, 7.42 million were intentionally exterminated by the Nazis in the occupied territories, and over 4.1 million died from the atrocious conditions of the occupation regime.
• Since 2009, the day marked by the Candle of Memory nationwide action. Candles are lit throughout Russia in the silence of the night in memory of all those who died during the Great Patriotic War protecting our peaceful life.
Since 2020, an annual nationwide minute of silence has been held at 12:15 Moscow time the exact time when the Soviet government announced Nazi Germany’s invasion.
🔗 Read our full material for more information
#Victory79 #WeRemember
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🗓 On August 9, 1944 — exactly 80 years ago — the Battle of Leningrad, the longest military engagement in the history of the Great Patriotic War, concluded with a Red Army victory.
For more than three years, Soviet soldiers and officers fought fierce battles in the northwestern theatre, while the people in Leningrad steadfastly endured the horrors of the siege.
Capturing Leningrad was a goal of high military and political significance for the Nazi leadership. The city was one of the largest strategic, political and economic centres of the Soviet Union, and its loss would mean isolation of the northern regions of the USSR, and cutting off the Soviet fleet’s access to bases in the Baltic Sea.
⚔️ The Battle of Leningrad included several stages: defence of the distant and near approaches, 872 days of the siege, the breakthrough and the Soviet offensive in the northwestern direction. Instead of taking the city in three weeks, as Hitler planned, the Nazi troops spent about three years at the gates.
The siege was finally lifted on January 27, 1944, paving the way for liberating the southern parts of the Leningrad Region in February. But the Battle of Leningrad did not end until August 1944 and the defeat of Finnish troops in Karelia. The Soviet soldiers were liberating Europe at that time.
☝️ The defence of Leningrad became a symbol of the courage of the Soviet people. At the cost of incredible hardship, heroism and self-sacrifice, Soviet soldiers and residents of Leningrad defended the city.
🎖 Over 350,000 soldiers, officers and generals of the Leningrad Front were decorated with orders and medals, with 226 of them awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The medal For the Defence of Leningrad was conferred on 1.5 million people. In 1965, Leningrad was among the first to receive the title Hero City as a tribute to the heroism and courage shown by its residents during the siege.
#WeRemember #Victory79
For more than three years, Soviet soldiers and officers fought fierce battles in the northwestern theatre, while the people in Leningrad steadfastly endured the horrors of the siege.
Capturing Leningrad was a goal of high military and political significance for the Nazi leadership. The city was one of the largest strategic, political and economic centres of the Soviet Union, and its loss would mean isolation of the northern regions of the USSR, and cutting off the Soviet fleet’s access to bases in the Baltic Sea.
⚔️ The Battle of Leningrad included several stages: defence of the distant and near approaches, 872 days of the siege, the breakthrough and the Soviet offensive in the northwestern direction. Instead of taking the city in three weeks, as Hitler planned, the Nazi troops spent about three years at the gates.
The siege was finally lifted on January 27, 1944, paving the way for liberating the southern parts of the Leningrad Region in February. But the Battle of Leningrad did not end until August 1944 and the defeat of Finnish troops in Karelia. The Soviet soldiers were liberating Europe at that time.
☝️ The defence of Leningrad became a symbol of the courage of the Soviet people. At the cost of incredible hardship, heroism and self-sacrifice, Soviet soldiers and residents of Leningrad defended the city.
#WeRemember #Victory79
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🗓 #OnThisDay in 1984, Hero of the Russian Federation, Air Force Major Roman Filipov was born.
At school, Roman Filipov dreamt of a career in the Air Force, following in his father’s footsteps. After completing his 11-year secondary education, he enrolled in the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School.
✈️ At the age of 18, he was assigned to the 187th Guards Air Assault Regiment based in the village of Chernigovka, the Primorye Territory. He quickly rose through the ranks, starting as a senior pilot and eventually becoming deputy air squadron commander at an assault air regiment of the Eastern Military District. He was then deployed to the Air Group of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria. Upon arrival, he took part in military operations as a flight commander, piloting Sukhoi Su-25SM ground-attack aircraft.
Roman Filipov was an ace Class 1 Pilot and frequently participated in Russia’s national Aviadarts exercises. His total flying time was 1,300 hours as he completed 80 combat sorties.
▪️ He perished in the line of duty in Syria on February 3, 2018, while returning to base after a fly-by over the Idlib de-escalation zone. His Su-25SM was shot down by terrorists using a portable surface-to-air missile system.
He tried to keep his plane airborne, diverting it from houses on the ground. Once he successfully accomplished this, he ejected from the aircraft. He was encircled by militants on the ground, conducted an unequal battle against the enemy, became severely injured, and, when the enemy forces approached him at minimum distance, exploded himself with a grenade, shouting: “This is for our guys!”.
🎖 Major Roman Filipov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously) for his heroism, courage and bravery in the performance of military duty.
#WeRemember
At school, Roman Filipov dreamt of a career in the Air Force, following in his father’s footsteps. After completing his 11-year secondary education, he enrolled in the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School.
✈️ At the age of 18, he was assigned to the 187th Guards Air Assault Regiment based in the village of Chernigovka, the Primorye Territory. He quickly rose through the ranks, starting as a senior pilot and eventually becoming deputy air squadron commander at an assault air regiment of the Eastern Military District. He was then deployed to the Air Group of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria. Upon arrival, he took part in military operations as a flight commander, piloting Sukhoi Su-25SM ground-attack aircraft.
Roman Filipov was an ace Class 1 Pilot and frequently participated in Russia’s national Aviadarts exercises. His total flying time was 1,300 hours as he completed 80 combat sorties.
▪️ He perished in the line of duty in Syria on February 3, 2018, while returning to base after a fly-by over the Idlib de-escalation zone. His Su-25SM was shot down by terrorists using a portable surface-to-air missile system.
He tried to keep his plane airborne, diverting it from houses on the ground. Once he successfully accomplished this, he ejected from the aircraft. He was encircled by militants on the ground, conducted an unequal battle against the enemy, became severely injured, and, when the enemy forces approached him at minimum distance, exploded himself with a grenade, shouting: “This is for our guys!”.
🎖 Major Roman Filipov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously) for his heroism, courage and bravery in the performance of military duty.
#WeRemember
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🗓 On September 7, 1945, a military parade of the allied forces of the #USSR, US, UK and France took place in Berlin near the walls of the defeated Reichstag on Alexanderplatz Square, marking the end of #WWII.
The location of the parade – at the Brandenburg Gate, at the very heart of the German capital – was not chosen by chance. It was right here where the Battle of Berlin ended and the remnants of the Berlin group of German troops surrendered to the Red Army. Scheduled for September 7, the parade was timed to coincide with the victory over militaristic Japan.
Representatives of the allied powers responded positively to Moscow's proposal to hold a joint parade in Berlin. However, on the eve of the event, after the date and all the details had been agreed upon, the US, UK and France announced that instead of the commanders-in-chief – Eisenhower, Montgomery and Tassigny – they would send lower-ranking generals, who were already stationed in Germany, to the parade. By doing so, the allies tried to downplay the significance of the parde, which emphasized the decisive role of the Soviet Union in taking Berlin. At that time, no one doubted who bore the brunt of the storming of the capital of the Third Reich.
🇷🇺 The USSR carried out thorough preparations for the parade. The Soviet command attracted the most distinguished soldiers, sergeants, officers and generals who had shown unrivalled courage in taking Berlin and the main centers of the reich – the Reichstag and the Imperial Chancellery.
🎖On September 7 at 11 am, the Berlin allied parade commenced. It was received by the Commander of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany Georgy Zhukov. The parade was opened by the combined regiment of the 248th Rifle Division of the Red Army, led by Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Lenev. The parade was closed by a column of the Soviet armor, with the latest heavy tanks IS-3 ("Joseph Stalin") marching.
💬 In his welcoming speech to the parade participants, Marshal Zhukov paid tribute to the exploits of the Soviet and Allied forces in the struggle for victory over Nazi Germany:
"Fighting friends, comrades in arms, soldiers, officers and generals... <...> The Second World War ended with a decisive and powerful strike from the great allied powers. Our victory is a triumph of an unprecedented military partnership of democratic states.
From now on, people <...> will be eternally grateful to the great nations of America, England, the Soviet Union, the French Republic and China, to their valiant soldiers who, in the difficult time of military trials, gave each other helping hands, united to win a victory over a common enemy, to win the long-awaited peace on Earth."
#Victory79 #WeRemember #WeWereAllies
The location of the parade – at the Brandenburg Gate, at the very heart of the German capital – was not chosen by chance. It was right here where the Battle of Berlin ended and the remnants of the Berlin group of German troops surrendered to the Red Army. Scheduled for September 7, the parade was timed to coincide with the victory over militaristic Japan.
Representatives of the allied powers responded positively to Moscow's proposal to hold a joint parade in Berlin. However, on the eve of the event, after the date and all the details had been agreed upon, the US, UK and France announced that instead of the commanders-in-chief – Eisenhower, Montgomery and Tassigny – they would send lower-ranking generals, who were already stationed in Germany, to the parade. By doing so, the allies tried to downplay the significance of the parde, which emphasized the decisive role of the Soviet Union in taking Berlin. At that time, no one doubted who bore the brunt of the storming of the capital of the Third Reich.
🎖On September 7 at 11 am, the Berlin allied parade commenced. It was received by the Commander of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany Georgy Zhukov. The parade was opened by the combined regiment of the 248th Rifle Division of the Red Army, led by Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Lenev. The parade was closed by a column of the Soviet armor, with the latest heavy tanks IS-3 ("Joseph Stalin") marching.
💬 In his welcoming speech to the parade participants, Marshal Zhukov paid tribute to the exploits of the Soviet and Allied forces in the struggle for victory over Nazi Germany:
"Fighting friends, comrades in arms, soldiers, officers and generals... <...> The Second World War ended with a decisive and powerful strike from the great allied powers. Our victory is a triumph of an unprecedented military partnership of democratic states.
From now on, people <...> will be eternally grateful to the great nations of America, England, the Soviet Union, the French Republic and China, to their valiant soldiers who, in the difficult time of military trials, gave each other helping hands, united to win a victory over a common enemy, to win the long-awaited peace on Earth."
#Victory79 #WeRemember #WeWereAllies
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Forwarded from Russian Embassy in the UK
🕯 We will always remember the British, Soviet and other Allied participants of World War II Arctic Convoys.
In Russia their sacrifice and heroism in battling the enemy and the elements are commemorated in many ways.
Recently, a new exhibition was launched in St Petersburg by the Northern Convoys International Centre Foundation. One section is dedicated specifically to British sailors and pilots who took part in the perilous runs and protected them.
Memorial services are regularly held by local communities and authorities at memorials in Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and St Petersburg.
Here, in the United Kingdom, Russian diplomats are laying wreaths at the Arctic Convoys memorials on the shores of Loch Ewe and Scapa Flow. This is an honour and privilege.
#WeRemember
In Russia their sacrifice and heroism in battling the enemy and the elements are commemorated in many ways.
Recently, a new exhibition was launched in St Petersburg by the Northern Convoys International Centre Foundation. One section is dedicated specifically to British sailors and pilots who took part in the perilous runs and protected them.
Memorial services are regularly held by local communities and authorities at memorials in Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and St Petersburg.
Here, in the United Kingdom, Russian diplomats are laying wreaths at the Arctic Convoys memorials on the shores of Loch Ewe and Scapa Flow. This is an honour and privilege.
#WeRemember
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🕯December 3 marks the Day of the Unknown Soldier in Russia, honouring the feat of all soldiers who perished for the Motherland, yet whose names remain unknown.
#OnThisDay in 1966, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Red Army's victory over Nazi forces in the Battle of Moscow, a ceremony of the burial of the unknown soldiers' remains was held in the Alexander Garden near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. These remains were originally located in a mass grave on the 41st kilometre of the Leningrad Highway and were discovered during construction activities on the road. Back in 1941, during the Battle of Moscow, this very place saw fierce and bloody battles between the Soviet forces and Nazi invaders.
▪️ On May 8, 1967, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden was unveiled. "Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal", — the worldwide famous words were inscribed upon the granite slab on the Tomb. Soviet newspapers noted back then: "...he [the Unknown Soldier] was slain for his Motherland, for his home — Moscow. This is all we know about him."
💬 Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky remarked:
"The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the ancient walls of the Moscow Kremlin shall serve as a monument of eternal glory to the heroes who died on the battlefield for their Motherland.
Henceforth, the ashes of the one who shielded Moscow with his chest rest here".
The Eternal Flame was set at the Tomb. In December of 1997, the Honor Guard was instituted near the Eternal Flame.
In total, approximately two million Soviet and Russian citizens were reported missing in action during the wars and conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Russian Ministry of Defence carries out on a regular basis search operations to perpetuate the memory of heroes who perished for the Motherland.
Russian diplomats abroad are engaged in extensive efforts aimed at preserving historical memory, countering attempts to distort the history of #WWII and to question the Great Victory of the Soviet people.
The Embassies of Russia all across the world ensure the maintenance, repair and restoration of Soviet monuments and war graves.
❗️ Regrettably, as part of a disgraceful campaign to distort history of #WWII, a policy of state vandalism is being pursued in certain countries of Eastern Europe, in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in particular, with the one aim — to eradicate Russia's memorial heritage — the monuments to Soviet heroes and liberators.
By order of the official authorities, criminal acts are being perpetrated in these countries to desecrate mass graves, when the remains of fallen soldiers are barbarically exhumed for the purpose of their subsequent "reburial in accordance with European practice" in specially designated locations.
🎗 It is prohibited for Russian compatriots in Europe, under the threat (!) of criminal prosecution, to pay tribute to heroes who fought against Nazism. The Russian MFA highlights these outrageous incidents.
The memory of all who sacrificed their lives for our future is and will remain immortal.
#WeRemember
#OnThisDay in 1966, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Red Army's victory over Nazi forces in the Battle of Moscow, a ceremony of the burial of the unknown soldiers' remains was held in the Alexander Garden near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. These remains were originally located in a mass grave on the 41st kilometre of the Leningrad Highway and were discovered during construction activities on the road. Back in 1941, during the Battle of Moscow, this very place saw fierce and bloody battles between the Soviet forces and Nazi invaders.
▪️ On May 8, 1967, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden was unveiled. "Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal", — the worldwide famous words were inscribed upon the granite slab on the Tomb. Soviet newspapers noted back then: "...he [the Unknown Soldier] was slain for his Motherland, for his home — Moscow. This is all we know about him."
💬 Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky remarked:
"The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the ancient walls of the Moscow Kremlin shall serve as a monument of eternal glory to the heroes who died on the battlefield for their Motherland.
Henceforth, the ashes of the one who shielded Moscow with his chest rest here".
The Eternal Flame was set at the Tomb. In December of 1997, the Honor Guard was instituted near the Eternal Flame.
In total, approximately two million Soviet and Russian citizens were reported missing in action during the wars and conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Russian Ministry of Defence carries out on a regular basis search operations to perpetuate the memory of heroes who perished for the Motherland.
Russian diplomats abroad are engaged in extensive efforts aimed at preserving historical memory, countering attempts to distort the history of #WWII and to question the Great Victory of the Soviet people.
The Embassies of Russia all across the world ensure the maintenance, repair and restoration of Soviet monuments and war graves.
❗️ Regrettably, as part of a disgraceful campaign to distort history of #WWII, a policy of state vandalism is being pursued in certain countries of Eastern Europe, in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in particular, with the one aim — to eradicate Russia's memorial heritage — the monuments to Soviet heroes and liberators.
By order of the official authorities, criminal acts are being perpetrated in these countries to desecrate mass graves, when the remains of fallen soldiers are barbarically exhumed for the purpose of their subsequent "reburial in accordance with European practice" in specially designated locations.
🎗 It is prohibited for Russian compatriots in Europe, under the threat (!) of criminal prosecution, to pay tribute to heroes who fought against Nazism. The Russian MFA highlights these outrageous incidents.
The memory of all who sacrificed their lives for our future is and will remain immortal.
#WeRemember