The holiday begins on May 9. An invariable attribute of the Victory Day holiday. Monuments dedicated to Victory Day

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It is one of the most important and solemn holidays on the vast territory of our country. Victory Day in Russia is traditionally celebrated on May 9 and gathers hundreds of thousands of people proud of the exploits of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who, at the cost of their lives, were able to make our Motherland free from Nazi rule.

The history of Victory Day Starting on June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War lasted 4 years. Despite the enormous losses and devastation, the Soviet people were still able to win this protracted and bloody war. Victory Day of the Russian Army is a reminder of the hard work this victory cost and pays honor to the dead and living heroes of this terrible war

. The final effort that led to the final victory was made in the capture of Berlin.

History says that the decisive offensive of the Soviet troops began in January 45, it was then that the army began to advance through the territory of Poland and Prussia. Although the fascist leader Hitler committed suicide on April 20, 1945, this did not stop the war, but led to fierce resistance from the remnants of the enemy troops. Succumbing to the propaganda that the Russians had come to take revenge, the German soldiers defended themselves to the last drop of blood. Soviet and allied troops encountered the most stubborn resistance during the capture of Berlin. This battle became one of the bloodiest in all the years of the war. The German capital capitulated only after losses on both sides amounted to several hundred thousand. Victory Day of Russian soldiers is a tribute to the respect and memory of the soldiers who fell in that last battle

. On the afternoon of May 7, 1945, Nazi Germany signed its surrender. History says that only in the battle for Berlin Soviet army

lost more than 325 thousand soldiers and officers. According to rough estimates, for each of the days that brought our people closer to Victory Day, we had to pay a high price (about 15,000 killed soldiers per day). In total, 2.5 million soldiers took part in the operation to capture Berlin. A lot has been said about Victory Day beautiful words , but not everyone knows that fascist troops fought to the last for every Berlin street. between houses they were not allowed to use all the advantages of aviation and tank equipment, so combat losses were huge.

During the several weeks of the storming of Berlin Soviet troops lost almost 2,000 tanks, about 2,000 guns and approximately 900 aircraft. Many participants in these events still remember those bloody days with trembling. Although the losses of the Soviet troops were enormous, the Nazis lost much more. About 500 thousand prisoners were captured alone, and a total of 92 enemy divisions were defeated.

Human losses during the Second World War among the Soviet population

During the war years, the USSR lost about 26.6 million inhabitants. This number included not only soldiers, but all residents who died in one way or another as a result of the long years of war. Men died the most during World War II—about 20 million. People who were taken out or left the Soviet Union during the war and did not return there after its end are also included in total number victims.

Why Victory Day is held on May 9

Despite the fact that the German surrender was signed on May 7, history tells that Stalin did not recognize it, since General Susloparov, who signed this document, did not have the authority of the Kremlin. At the request of Stalin, Field Marshal Keitel created a new act, which was signed on May 9 at 00:43 hours. Due to the time difference with Europe, this holiday is celebrated there on May 8th.

By decree of the Supreme Council signed by Kalinin, all events to celebrate Victory Day were scheduled for May 9. This day was declared a public holiday and a day off. In the morning at 6 o'clock this decree was brought to the attention of the Soviet people by radio. Preparations for the Victory Day holiday began immediately. Late in the evening, a grandiose festive fireworks display was held - 30 salvos from a thousand guns, which became the largest in the entire history of the USSR.

Although Victory Day was held on May 9, 1945, the military parade took place on June 24. During the parade, combat regiments from all fronts led by commanders and Heroes of the Soviet Union marched across Red Square. At the end of the parade, 200 banners of Nazi Germany were brought to the Mausoleum and thrown.

The following year, the parade was moved to May 9, as it was on this day that Germany signed its surrender. However, already in 1947, the USSR government decided to cancel the May 9 holiday, and decided not to hold parades at all. This decision was dictated by the fact that the people are tired of the war and want to forget the difficult war years, and the military parade only reopens old wounds.

12 years passed after Stalin's death, when the USSR government decided to resume the Victory Day holiday. In 1965 (May 9), Victory Day was again recognized as a public holiday and a day off. Along with the holiday, the tradition of holding annual military parades was also restored.

After the collapse of the USSR, Victory Day was not celebrated in Russia until 1995. On May 9, 1995, the holiday was restored again, and this year there were two military parades, one traditional on foot, and the second with the participation of armored vehicles.

Victory Day and its significance for Russia

In order for us to celebrate Victory Day, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers gave their lives. In Russia this holiday It is celebrated on a grand scale and is one of the most important public holidays. Despite the difficult 90s, people always remembered this bright and joyful holiday and celebrated it every year even in a narrow family circle. Every resident of Russia has an ancestor who took up arms in defense of his country from the terrible threat hanging over it and was able to snatch victory from the tenacious clutches of fascism.

Those who during the war, due to health reasons, could not participate in hostilities, selflessly worked in the defense industry, supplying the front with everything necessary. Most of the workers were drafted to the front during the war, so teenagers and women took their places. Largely thanks to their heroic efforts, the great victory of the Soviet people over the German occupiers became possible. Despite the hunger and devastation, these people with all their might brought the hour of victory closer, losing their health and sometimes their lives.

How is Victory Day celebrated in Russia now?

Traditionally, festive events are held on Victory Day:

1. Traditional rallies and demonstrations are organized;
2. Flowers and wreaths are laid at the foot of the monuments;
3. Festive congratulations are being held for veterans of the Great Patriotic War;

Even though this holiday is no different big amount noisy fun and celebrations, its significance is that people remember and respect their fallen heroes. The younger generation, having seen newsreels of the war years, begins to understand what a great mission their ancestors were able to accomplish, and sincere front-line songs make them think about difficult years war.

Although more than 70 years have passed since the first festive fireworks thundered on May 9, Victory Day is still a sacred holiday for every resident of the CIS, because the entire people rose up to defend the Motherland from the invader and many families lost one or more of their members.

The main attribute of Victory Day

One of the honorable traditions dedicated to Victory Day is the carrying of the red banner. This tradition began in 1965, when Victory Day was returned to its status public holiday. This banner was exactly the flag that was hung over the Reichstag.

The history of this banner is quite interesting. Despite the popular belief that this banner was first displayed at a military parade in 1945, this is not the case. Due to the injuries of the standard bearer and insufficient combat training of other applicants for carrying out the banner, Marshal Zhukov was forced to cancel the ceremonial removal of the banner.

The original banner was first carried out at the 1965 parade, after which it was placed in a museum, and its place was taken by a complete copy, which was carried out over the following years. The original banner is still kept in the Museum of the Armed Forces.

Heroes - winners of the Great Patriotic War

Time inexorably ticks down year after year and every spring fewer and fewer veterans of the Great Patriotic War come to Victory Day. Now no more than 2 percent of the heroes who were able to return alive from the war are alive. Despite front-line wounds and illnesses, surviving veterans still gather for the holiday. They gather together, quietly remembering their fallen comrades and the difficult years at the front.

The heroes of the Great Patriotic War should be treated with special respect, remembering that it is thanks to their efforts that we, their descendants, can enjoy freedom.

Veterans visit monuments dedicated to the victory in the Second World War and the memory of fallen heroes, travel to places of military glory, and visit places that are memorable to them. We must remember that very little time will pass and there will be no living participants in that terrible war left at all.

The main monuments dedicated to front-line soldiers

In the vastness of Russia and the CIS there is a large number of monuments and memorials that were erected over seven decades. Let's try to list the most famous of them:

1. Poklonnaya Gora. This park is a memorial complex that perpetuates the memory of the fallen Heroes of the Great Patriotic War. He is located in Moscow. Poklonnaya grief has been known since ancient times; travelers who wanted to view Moscow from above and worship its churches stopped there. This is where the name “Poklonnaya Gora” comes from. Victory Park on this mountain was founded back in 1958, but the completion of construction and opening of the complex occurred only in 1995;
2. Mamaev kurgan. On a mound in Volgograd, which has been known since the times Mongol invasion, in 1942-1943 bloody battles for Stalingrad took place. Today on the mound there are several mass graves and the monument “The Motherland is Calling!” This complex is applying for inclusion in the UNESCO list;
3. In Novosibirsk there is memorial Complex called "Heroes Square". What makes it special is that it is a park with many trees and flowers. There is an extensive memorial complex on Heroes Square. In 1958, an eternal flame was lit on the square, which still burns to this day;
4. The Alley of Heroes in St. Petersburg is part of Moscow's Victory Park. Its peculiarity is the composition of busts of twice Heroes of the Soviet Union, who were residents of Leningrad. In the center of the composition is a monument to Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, which was erected at the request of WWII veterans for the 50th anniversary of Victory Day;
5. The Eternal Flame of Glory is a memorial located in Veliky Novgorod. It was built on the site of two mass graves, one of which dates back to 1944. 19 dead soldiers of the 59th Army are buried there. This memorial is notable for the fact that from 1975 to 1986 a guard of schoolchildren stood near the eternal flame. The duty changed every 15 minutes and lasted from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. In 1986, this guard was abolished;
6. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located in Moscow, near the walls of the Kremlin. This memorial is a bronze composition of a soldier’s helmet and laurel branches, which lie on the banner. In the center of the memorial there is a niche with the inscription “Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal.”

In addition to the listed memorials and parks, there are thousands of monuments throughout the country that remind people of the heroes of the Second World War.

Victory Day is a holiday dedicated to all those who died, fought and worked in the rear, who through their heroic efforts were able to bring this bright day closer.

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I am interested in martial arts with weapons and historical fencing. I write about weapons and military equipment because it is interesting and familiar to me. I often learn a lot of new things and want to share these facts with people who are interested in military issues.

Date in 2019: May 9th, Thursday.

Victory Day! There is so much in these words. They contain the bitterness of tears and losses, and the joy of meetings and achievements. After all, the events of those terrible years affected every family, every person. And let it be from that Great Victory We are separated by many years, every year at the beginning of May all Russians remember with respect and awe the feat of their fathers and grandfathers. Let's remember how it all began and how the traditions of celebrating May 9 have changed over half a century.

For all residents of Russia and the countries of the former Union, one of the most important holidays is May 9 - Victory Day is celebrated by everyone, regardless of age and social status. Fortunately, many of us do not know the horrors of war, the hardships and troubles that people who went through the nightmare of the war years had to endure. But we understand perfectly well that this happiness is due precisely to those soldiers who did not return from the battlefield, as well as to the heroes who worthily reached the glorious Victory Day.

Victory story

It took four years for Soviet troops to reach the day of victory over fascism. Four years that went down in history as greatest feat ordinary soldiers and officers, children and teenagers, old people and women who literally pulled out with their teeth their right to a happy, peaceful life. And not only your life, but also your children, grandchildren, that is, our peaceful life. And it is impossible to forget this feat.

Raising the flag over the Reichstag

And the most joyful, unforgettable event, of course, was and will always be Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War.

It was Victory Day that marked the complete surrender of the fascist troops. But this event was preceded by other equally important stages of surrender.

By the end of April, Soviet troops came close to Berlin, where they encountered fierce resistance. Preliminary negotiations on May 1 about complete surrender did not yield results, which led to an assault on the central part of the city and battles for the main office. Despite heavy fighting, on May 2 the flag was raised over the Reichstag by Soviet soldiers. By 15 o'clock, after a radio speech by the deputy of German propaganda, the remnants of the German garrison laid down their arms and surrendered. Thus Berlin capitulated, but it was not yet Victory.

The act of complete surrender was signed only five days later, which the German command agreed to because of the pointlessness of continuing military operations. Early in the morning of May 7, the document was signed by all parties to the military conflict. But General Ivan Susloparov, speaking on behalf of the Soviet command, did not have Moscow’s permission to endorse such historical documents.

Therefore, it was decided to sign the second act, but by authorized persons of all parties. Having everything legal rights the document is signed according to Central European time on May 8 at 22 hours 43 minutes, which corresponds to 0 hours 43 minutes on May 9 Moscow time.

It was this document that proclaimed the complete surrender of Germany.

history of the holiday

On the morning of May 9, Stalin signed the Decree of the Commander-in-Chief, which proclaimed May 9 as Victory Day.

The first celebration in 1945 was remembered by a grandiose fireworks display. The Victory Parade in honor of the end of the war was held in Moscow on June 24.

However, the solemn celebration of May 9 lasted only three years. In 1948, the holiday was abolished. Either in this way they wanted to smooth over the wounds of the terrible war years, or Stalin did not like the fact that the people associated the holiday with Marshal of Victory Zhukov.

However, the holiday has lost the solemnity and sublimity that was originally invested in it.

Literally before the start of Brezhnev’s reign, Victory Day was a working day and was celebrated with fireworks and the standard 30 salvos from artillery pieces.

Under Brezhnev, the approach to celebrating Victory Day changed dramatically. Since 1965, the holiday has again been declared a day off and the tradition of holding military parades has returned. The scale of solemnity of the events increased every year.

After the collapse of the Union amid political instability, the holiday was simply ignored for several years in terms of holding festive and traditional events. And only in 1995 the tradition of holding parades and processions on Victory Day was revived again. But literally until 2008, military equipment did not participate in such parades.

One holiday - different dates

If in Russia and the countries of the former Union Victory Day is unconditionally perceived as May 9, then in European countries the holiday is usually celebrated on May 8. This is due not so much to the confusion of dates, but to the difference in time when the Act of Surrender of Germany was signed. According to the time in Europe, the event happened on the night of May 8th.

Signing the act of surrender

The UN also made its contribution, which, with its resolution adopted in 2004, recommended that participating countries celebrate the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Second World War.

Therefore, in Europe, a holiday is celebrated in many countries on May 8, and it has a more tragic than joyful connotation.

Unfortunately, in the Baltic countries, in Ukraine, where Lately The vision of many historical events has changed dramatically; decisions were made at the government level to postpone and rename the holiday. But, as life shows, folk traditions and memory are much stronger, and many people, as before, try to celebrate Victory Day according to the date established by their ancestors.

Celebration traditions

Today May 9 is one of the brightest and largest holidays in Russia. The celebration is held in all major cities and small populated areas countries. Music of the war years and military themes is played everywhere, people take to the streets to lay flowers at monuments and graves, and also to congratulate veterans. But for the front-line soldiers, of whom there are only a few left, this is also a day of bitterness, a day of remembrance of the horrors they suffered and their fallen comrades.

Victory Day Parade

Various army units, as well as modern military equipment, are marching across the main square of the country and in large hero cities. Aviation also takes part in the parade. War veterans, representatives of the state government, as well as guests of the country are present at the parade as guests of honor.

Laying of flowers and moment of silence

Each city has its own places of military glory.

It is to such memorials and monuments, monuments and burials, monuments to the Unknown Soldier and the Eternal Flame, and other historical and memorable places that people go all day long to bow and lay flowers, wreaths, and baskets. During ceremonial layings, the event is accompanied by a minute of silence. This is a tribute of respect and respect to those heroes who laid down their lives for the sake of peace, for the sake of Victory.

This is a young tradition that in just a couple of years has spread not only to all cities of Russia, but has also gained recognition in many countries around the world.

Millions of children and grandchildren take to the streets of cities with portraits of their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, who were directly involved in the approach of the Great Victory. A real “immortal regiment” is passing through the streets, since these heroes will always be alive in our memory.

Campaign for Victory Day “I remember! I'm proud!" appeared back in 2005. This motto does not require much explanation, and the symbol of the action was the St. George or Guards ribbon.

To remind the younger generation of the valiant feat of our ancestors, this tradition of tying a ribbon on Victory Day appeared. But attacks by some states on this harmless attribute involuntarily made the St. George ribbon a real symbol of victory.

Firework

In the evening, after the main ceremonial events, large-scale festive fireworks are always held in large cities.

Hundreds, thousands of balls fly upward, scattering into millions of sparks, illuminating the sky above the cities and creating an unforgettable spectacle. Volleys are fired from special artillery guns. It is this event that creates a truly unique feeling of unity, a feeling of gratitude that inevitably awakens in the hearts of people during the Victory Salvos.

Congratulations

Dear veterans, all our words and congratulations on Victory Day are intended for you. We bow at your feet and thank you for our peaceful sky. We wish you good health and peace of mind. And we promise that we will do everything so that our children and grandchildren remember this day and never know the horrors of war.

May 9 is a day of sorrow and a day of joy. We mourn the dead, those who sacrificed their lives for our well-being. We rejoice at Victory, the greatest victory of good over evil, faith in life over fascism, good over the “black plague.” After all, on that distant spring day, something happened that millions of people had been working toward for four years, suffering losses and suffering from grief. And today we rejoice at our victory, we are proud that we are followers of the great winners.

Tears and joy in our eyes,

There is simply no more joyful holiday.

Flowers for veterans in our hands,

Thank you for a life without troubles.

There will be fireworks today,

With victory, everyone repeats,

We march with pride in the eternal regiment,

The pain will not subside, but our memory is alive,

It becomes stronger over the years.

How much trouble that war brought,

What a blessing that victory was ours.

Many days, minutes, years.

Victory was brought closer as best we could.

And now the trouble has disappeared forever,

Everyone was happy and rejoicing.

Congratulations today to those who survived,

We bow our knees before you,

And let's remember the dead, and keep silent,

Swallowing tears of bitterness.

We will say thank you for a world without war,

Thank you all for the victory,

Thanks to all those who did not return from the war,

Thanks to my father and grandfather.

For me, Victory Day on May 9 is always a personal and sad day. The grandson of two grandfathers of officers who went through the war from beginning to end, from childhood I learned to respect/understand what those who were at the front or worked for victory in the rear had to face. And I treated this day, as in the song: “with tears in my eyes,” more like a day of memory, sorrow and respect than a holiday. Therefore, when I learned that until 1965 this holiday was not celebrated in today’s perception of this word, I treated it with understanding. Yes, and it’s strange to exploit an event that claimed 27,000,000 (an incomplete figure, which even in my memory changed to millions) lives Soviet people, for purposes other than memory, remembrance or reminder. Even the fireworks long-awaited in childhood could not overshadow the grief and toasts “For a peaceful sky above!”, which really and honestly sounded at the tables of the Soviet people on that day. And also the tears of my parents. And turn this Day into a reason for political puffing out of cheeks, exploiting it as some kind of achievement that we as a whole country were striving for (and not as a forced finale in repelling aggression, which it would have been better if it had never happened) for any leader of the country, including Gorbachev, who is unloved by many , even my tongue didn’t turn. The country had other exploits that it could easily be proud of. Labor, scientific, sports. Peaceful, in a word, which also sometimes required heroism and dedication, but were not marked by as many casualties as there were during the Second World War. And even Yeltsin continued the Soviet traditions of a reverent and cautious attitude towards this day, realizing that war is the most terrible thing that the leader of a country that has suffered too much from wars in its history can allow.

My grandfather maternal line met his fate at the front, in 1944. He met and remained with it until its end, until 1998. And then, when he died in 2007, they were buried together in the land of Ukraine, in the Cherkasy region, where his destiny, named Nina, was from. Senior Lieutenant Nina and Colonel Ivan.

I remember my paternal grandfather for his fingers yellow from cigarettes, his masterly use of a straight razor (which aroused sacred awe and burning curiosity in me) and the ability to blow multi-tiered rings of cigarette smoke. He died in 1976. The war caught up with him in the form of a fragment next to his heart. The fragment moved and grandfather was gone. “Advanced” Soviet medicine could not help him, although the problem was widespread. Grandma captured her war in hellish evacuation conditions, where ordinary people those who could not be sent to the front line with a rifle (not party leaders) were treated as slaves, leaving the choice of either working hard for 12 hours or dying of hunger. And no heroism, patriotism or fairy tales about Soviet humanism. Only the desire to survive and save the lives of my two sons, one of whom was my father. Which in the summer of 1941 she dragged from Pskov along a road overloaded with refugees in a creaky carriage, and “civilized” German pilots swooped down with Messerschmitts on this crowd, shooting everyone indiscriminately, clearing the road for tank columns. But the bullets that then flew at my father, they also flew at me, who was not yet born. After the war, grandmother because constant fear hunger, she learned to be a cook and worked all her life in the school canteen, remembering what she had to go through just to feed her children. She outlived her grandfather by 25 years. They are also together now, in the Orthodox part of the cemetery in Estonia, where grandfather was sent after the war.

This is my family's memory. My memory. Which I will not betray and cannot be destroyed, like monuments to the dead Soviet soldiers in other states. And it would be abnormal to reformat or distort it for the sake of any of today’s momentary ideas and plans, especially of some shady politicians, such as Putin.

It’s strange, but while Putin, having received the main prize of his life in 2000, in the form of the post of President of the Russian Federation, looked around, looked closely, sniffed at his position; falsely smiling at the leaders of both neighboring and distant states; showing with every fiber that he is ready to lead the country forward to progress and a bright, or at least some kind of future, has not even arisen anywhere in the world (on state level) ideas to demolish monuments to those who liberated the world from fascism. Even the Bronze Soldier stood in its historical place in Tallinn until April 2007. And May 9, 2005 great amount foreign leaders visited Moscow, politically correct, sharing with us the joy of the victory over fascism. It is over fascism, and not the joy of “our” victory. Because how to divide the overall victory into its components? After all, alas and ah, not everyone who hated Hitler loved Stalin. And the countries that we liberated from fascism in 1944/45 and enrolled in the camp of socialism considered themselves occupied by Stalinism. This fine line has always been in the world's mind, but for the sake of respect for new Russia they tried not to cross it, without equating Stalin with the peoples of the Russian Federation.

But since the rise in oil prices and the exorbitant enrichment of the pro-Putin “elites,” the political ambitions of the Kremlin dwarf have become more and more obvious, and the smiles have become more and more contemptuous. The question "do the Russians want war?" was removed from the political agenda. Because for the sake of implementing new imperial ideas and creating a new world at their own discretion, the war was presented only as an event that undoubtedly leads to a great and unconditional victory. And it was decided not to highlight the costs of achieving victory in the form of numerous corpses. After all, when a forest is cut down, the chips fly willy-nilly. For these purposes, the exploitation of the period of the Great Patriotic War, or more precisely its second, more heroic part, was chosen (although the popular films "Stalingrad" and "28 Panfilov's Men" had already reached the years 41/42). And the format of celebrating Victory Day on May 9 was reformatted to suit the new vision of the war. In Putin’s understanding, this is a loud drum roll, a military parade, a demonstration of power, a pretentious speech, and a festive fireworks display with a barbecue and garden weekend for the plebs.

Did Putin, in his youth, also believe that the blockade of his hometown was a reason for fun? No, not lifting the blockade, but the entire blockade? Because only those who experienced it can separate one from the other. And everyone else should, at least once in their lives, kneel at the Piskarevskoye cemetery and pray with whatever strength they can so that this will never happen again. In silence. Without slurping food and clinking (!) strong drinks.

The most disgusting thing that Putin has turned Victory Day into is an event through which numerous cynical, political bastards of any level of power strive to look at least one day a year better than they really are. And since 2006, this process has become more and more hysterical, and preparing for it allows you not only to earn social points, but also quite some money. Belching tasty food and wiping the sweat flowing from their fat mugs, the officials even put the wonderful people's initiative "People's Regiment" into their service. Now they walk along with people who sincerely believe in the nobility of the idea, suffering from the shortness of breath of obesity, waving flags, shouting Right words. And that is all. Their strength and energy are running out. This action does not bring any creative synergy. No progress, no discovery, no benefit, no warning. No movement into the future. Only merciless exploitation of the common (and, by the way, not Russian, but Soviet) past. Naturally, only heroic, because they don’t shout about Afghanistan from every voice, although we fought there for 10 years. A strange, selective memory, which my dull and stupid fellow citizens easily believe in.

Until 2009/12, while the number of veterans, real participants (and not those invented by the authorities. Yes, there are plenty of them today) participants in hostilities was still sufficient, this did not make it possible to portray the war as a glamorous and non-scary event. As has already happened in modern Russian cinema, where well-fed and clean “heroes” easily deal with millions of enemies without even reloading their machine gun.

But since 2013, the degree of hysteria around the celebration of Victory Day began to rise mercilessly. Since the beginning of the year everything social services and departments of government, prefectures, and mayor's offices (each level of business has its own curator) urgently asked to provide all possible assistance, perceiving refusal as aiding fascism and the enemies of the Fatherland. That year the glorious Colonel Shilikov, a participant Battle of Stalingrad, who until his last breath defended the interests of veterans and fought with officials so that at least in the 21st century they would understand that Victory Day is not a banal red day on the calendar, but a grandiose event that happened only once - May 9, 1945 and now lasts every second of our country's life. After all, if it weren’t historical day, then everything that surrounds us would not exist. So Victory Day is not just a day off, but life around us and in ourselves. And you can congratulate on this holiday on October 10, and September 8, and August 3, and April 6. On any day that counts down from that very real Victory Day. Agree that if you are congratulated on Victory Day on March 10, you will be very surprised and think that the person congratulating you is out of his mind. This is also the “merit” of Putin, who completely changed the essence of this day, putting it at the service of his propaganda. Because he cannot present and take credit for anything comparable in scale, but with a peaceful component.

Even Crimea, which raised Putin’s rating by 35%, is not a creative and peaceful example. I won't dwell on this. Let me just remind you under the conditions of the ideological howl on the part of the official media of the Russian Federation and officials at all levels of government that preparations for the 70th anniversary of Victory Day took place in 2015. Every day, as reports from the front, lists of leaders of those countries that would still come to our country were announced. And those who refused to personally congratulate Putin on Victory Day were anathematized (does he have anything to do with him? Or did he already mean the victory over Ukraine?). The “People's Regiment” received blessings/funding at the highest level and He Himself expressed a desire to walk along Tverskaya along with its people. It was customary to issue "St. George's ribbons" in all corners of the planet, with the intention of even covering penguins from the South Poles and polar bears from the North Poles. The number of thermoses, blankets, rations, alarm clocks and certificates issued as gifts amounted to hundreds of thousands and many times exceeded the number of living veterans. Young Army members appeared. Various “ours”, “theirs”, “locals” mercilessly milked the topic and actually imposed on society the concept of celebrating under the slogan : "Whoever is against our Victory Day is against us." Former gangster hooligan bikers, who in the 90s could easily shit (literally) in the Sexton club they “protected,” turned into ardent patriots, sucking into the budget of the Victory Day celebration.

In short, everything finally turned into a militant booth, in which they got lost and true memory about the event that is being celebrated, and the fate of the veterans, in which all these years, let’s be honest, the state didn’t give a damn). For me, in order for me to remember that there is a war and that there is a victory, the help of the scumbag Putin and his minions is not needed. How my son doesn't need her. Without the help of deceitful, cynical, interested mugs and waste of budget money, we have long figured out what is good and what is bad in this matter. And we do not want to make the exploitation of the memory of my family a springboard for the eternal, irreplaceable career of a Lilliputian leader.

Therefore, in 2015, on May 9, I went to Berlin, where in Treptow Park, with a crowd of at least 25,000 people, with the flags of the former Soviet republics and states anti-Hitler coalition, celebrated Victory Day. In a place where the Russian people and other peoples of the USSR/world together defeated Hitler's fascism. And when, without any political chatter and cries political prostitutes from the State Duma of the Russian Federation, I laid flowers at the memorial next to the Reichstag, I cried. It was like a cleansing. Cleansing the true Victory Day from the sticky and obsessive attention of Putin and his gang. Berlin is a sacred place for celebrating May 9th. Only if you go there, go without our political booth, solemnly and respectfully. The Germans understood everything a long time ago. Even more than we, judging by the fact that we allow the newly appointed Fuhrer to control our consciousness!

May 9 is not just a holiday, it is one of the great days, revered not only in Russia, but also in many other countries of the world that suffered from the invaders. Victory Day is a holiday important for every family and every citizen. It is difficult to find a person who was not in any way affected by the terrible war, which claimed the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians. This date will never be erased from history, it will remain forever in the calendar, and will always remind of those terrible events and the great defeat of the fascist troops, which stopped the hell.

History of May 9 in the USSR

The first Victory Day in history was celebrated in 1945. Exactly at 6 a.m., the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR designating May 9 as Victory Day and assigning it the status of a day off was solemnly read out over all loudspeakers in the country.

That evening in Moscow the Victory Salute was given - a grandiose spectacle at that time - thousands anti-aircraft guns fired 30 victorious salvos. On the day the war ended, the city streets were filled with jubilant people. They had fun, sang songs, hugged each other, kissed and cried with happiness and pain for those who did not live to see this long-awaited event.

The first Victory Day passed without a military parade; for the first time this solemn procession took place on Red Square only on June 24. They prepared for it carefully and for a long time - for a month and a half. The following year, the parade became an integral attribute of the celebration.

However, the magnificent celebration of Victory Day lasted only for three years. Beginning in 1948, in a country destroyed by Nazi troops, the authorities considered it necessary to prioritize the restoration of cities, factories, roads, educational institutions and Agriculture. Allocate considerable funds from the budget for a magnificent celebration of the most important historical event and refused to provide additional days off to workers.

L. I. Brezhnev made his contribution to the return of Victory Day - in 1965, on the twentieth anniversary of the Great Victory, May 9 was again colored red in the USSR calendar. This important memorable day was declared a holiday. Military parades and fireworks have resumed in all hero cities. Veterans, those who forged victory on the battlefield and behind enemy lines, enjoyed special honor and respect on the holiday. War participants were invited to schools, higher education educational establishments, they organized meetings with them at factories and warmly congratulated them on the streets with words, flowers and warm hugs.

Victory Day in modern Russia

In the new Russia, Victory Day remained a Great holiday. On this day, citizens of all ages, without coercion, go in an endless stream to monuments and memorials, laying flowers and wreaths at them. Performances by famous and amateur artists take place in squares and concert venues; mass celebrations last from morning until late at night.

By tradition, military parades are held in hero cities. And in the evenings the sky lights up with festive fireworks and modern fireworks. The new attribute of May 9 was George Ribbon- a symbol of heroism, courage and bravery. The ribbons were first distributed in 2005. Since then, on the eve of the holiday, they have been distributed free of charge in in public places, shops, educational institutions. Each participant proudly wears a striped ribbon on his chest, paying tribute to those who died for the Victory and peace on earth.

Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War is celebrated in Russia on May 9 as a national holiday dedicated to the struggle of the Soviet people for the freedom and independence of their Motherland against Nazi Germany and its allies.

The Great Patriotic War: the beginning

The most important and decisive part of the Second World War is the Great Patriotic War. The treacherous attack of Nazi Germany began at dawn on June 22, 1941. Violating Soviet-German treaties, Hitler's troops invaded the territory of the Soviet Union.

Romania and Italy took the side of Germany, and were later joined by Slovakia, Finland, Hungary and Norway.

The war lasted almost four years and became the largest armed conflict in human history. On the front, stretching from the Barents to the Black Sea, from 8 million to 13 million people fought simultaneously on both sides in different periods, from 6 thousand to 20 thousand tanks and assault guns, from 85 thousand to 165 thousand guns and mortars, from 7 thousand to 19 thousand aircraft.

© Sputnik / Yakov Ryumkin

Already at the very beginning, the plan for a lightning war, during which the German command planned to capture the entire Soviet Union, failed. The persistent defense of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Kyiv, Odessa, Sevastopol, and the Battle of Smolensk contributed to the disruption of Hitler’s plan for a lightning war.

The Great Break

The country survived, the course of events turned. Soviet soldiers defeated fascist troops near Moscow, Stalingrad (now Volgograd) and Leningrad, in the Caucasus, inflicted crushing blows on the enemy in the Kursk Bulge, Right Bank Ukraine and Belarus, in the Iasi-Kishinev, Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.

Over the course of almost four years of war, the Armed Forces of the USSR defeated 607 divisions of the fascist bloc. On Eastern Front German troops and their allies suffered more than 8.6 million casualties. More than 75% of all weapons and military equipment enemy.

© Sputnik / Georgy Petrusov

The Patriotic War, which was a tragedy in almost every Soviet family, ended in victory for the USSR. The act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed in the suburbs of Berlin on May 8, 1945 at 22.43 Central European time (Moscow time on May 9 at 0.43). It is because of this time difference that the Day of the end of World War II in Europe is celebrated on May 8, and in the USSR and then in Russia - on May 9.

9th May

In the USSR, May 9 was declared Victory Day Nazi Germany by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the day of surrender. The document declared May 9 a non-working day.

May 9th took place everywhere festivities, crowded rallies. Amateur groups, popular theater and film artists, and orchestras performed in the squares and parks of cities and villages. At 21:00, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Joseph Stalin addressed the Soviet people. At 22:00 a salute was fired with 30 artillery salvoes from 1,000 guns. After the fireworks, dozens of planes dropped garlands of multi-colored rockets over Moscow, and numerous sparklers flashed in the squares.

© Sputnik / David Sholomovich

During the Soviet period, parades on Red Square in Moscow occurred only three times.

On May 9, 1995, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, an anniversary parade of war participants and wartime home front workers with units of the Moscow garrison was held on Red Square, which, according to its organizers, reproduced the first historical parade. The Victory Banner was carried across the square.

Since then, parades on Red Square have been held annually, so far without military equipment, then it appeared.

© Sputnik / Ilya Pitalev

According to the decree of the President of the Russian Federation on May 9, when laying wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, holding ceremonial meetings, parades of troops and processions of veterans of the Great Patriotic War on Red Square in Moscow, along with National flag The Russian Federation carries out the Victory Banner hoisted over the Reichstag.

St. George Ribbon

Since 2005, a few days before May 9, the patriotic event "St. George's Ribbon" starts. For millions of people not only in Russia, but also abroad, the St. George ribbon is a symbol of memory, connection between generations and military glory. A decade later, the action became the largest in the entire history of the project. It united 85 regions of the Russian Federation and 76 countries. In addition to the CIS countries, Germany, Great Britain, France, Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Czech Republic, Spain, Finland and others are taking part in the action European countries, USA, Canada, Argentina, China, Israel, Vietnam. African countries also joined the action: Morocco, Congo, South Africa, Tanzania and others.

© Sputnik / Vladimir Vyatkin Procession of the Regional Patriotic "public organization Immortal Regiment

Moscow" on Red Square

In 2018, to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, military parades will be held in dozens of cities in Russia and other countries of the world.