Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at a reception on the occasion of Orthodox Easter (Moscow, April 22, 2026)
💬 I am delighted to welcome the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, members of the clergy of other traditional confessions, government officials and representatives of civil society organisations, as well as the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow at our traditional Easter gathering.
Easter Sunday symbolises the triumph of good and mercy and reminds us about the importance of mutual assistance and loving one’s neighbour. It teaches us to stand in defence of truth and fight for justice. This is something that resonates with every Russian.
President Vladimir Putin has designated 2026 as the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Our Fatherland has every right to claim the status of a civilisation state, as set forth in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation. The President approved it in March 2023 and it remains relevant.
For centuries, our country has been home to people of various creeds and cultures.
In fact, inter-ethnic and inter-faith harmony and conciliation have been and remain the main pillars ensuring stability at home and making us stronger on the international stage.
Of course, the Russian Orthodox Church has had an instrumental role in cementing national unity. Together with its followers, it has always shared the country’s lot and served as a moral beacon for millions of believers, while inspiring people to undertake spiritual feats and helping them withstand years of hardship.
We can see what happens when political elites reject their spiritual and civilisational roots, with present-day Ukraine presenting a bitter example. The regime which seized power in Kiev is ready to sacrifice the lives of millions of ordinary Ukrainians for the sake of serving the interests of its masters in the West. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been persecuted for over a decade now, which included taking over churches, vandal attacks, harassing the clergy and parishioners. Judging by the official data from the Kiev junta alone, there were over 180 criminal cases involving clerics, including four archpriests.
<...>
As you know, defending the honour and dignity of our people and compatriots, including their right to use their mother tongue, the Russian language, and to belong to the Orthodox faith, are among the goals of the special military operation. It is rejoicing that even in this regard, the Russian Orthodox Church has been standing with its people in this time of hardship. Its clergy has been carrying out its pastoral duties among the fighters, while praying for peace and calm across our land. <...>
But tension and anxiety go beyond our Western border. Large-scale conflicts have been raging in the Middle East for many years now. <...> We cannot stand aside and do nothing when terrorist and radical groups engage in ethnic cleansing, killings and looting, including on religious grounds. We have already raised the issue of the substantial decline in the number of Christians living in the Middle East. Against this backdrop, efforts by the Russian Orthodox Church acquire a special meaning and importance, considering that it has been offering its effective assistance to the people of its creed there. <...>
I would like to note that the Foreign Ministry’s working group with the Russian Orthodox Church has been working and delivering results for the past 22 years. According to our estimates, this group has established itself as an effective mechanism for enabling us to work together on the key matters of shared interest on the international stage, and our colleagues from the Russian Orthodox Church share this vision. We are convinced that further strengthening this cooperation would help consolidate Russia’s international standing and promote trust, mutual understanding and neighbourly relations among various nations and peoples.
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💬 I am delighted to welcome the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, members of the clergy of other traditional confessions, government officials and representatives of civil society organisations, as well as the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow at our traditional Easter gathering.
Easter Sunday symbolises the triumph of good and mercy and reminds us about the importance of mutual assistance and loving one’s neighbour. It teaches us to stand in defence of truth and fight for justice. This is something that resonates with every Russian.
President Vladimir Putin has designated 2026 as the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Our Fatherland has every right to claim the status of a civilisation state, as set forth in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation. The President approved it in March 2023 and it remains relevant.
For centuries, our country has been home to people of various creeds and cultures.
In fact, inter-ethnic and inter-faith harmony and conciliation have been and remain the main pillars ensuring stability at home and making us stronger on the international stage.
Of course, the Russian Orthodox Church has had an instrumental role in cementing national unity. Together with its followers, it has always shared the country’s lot and served as a moral beacon for millions of believers, while inspiring people to undertake spiritual feats and helping them withstand years of hardship.
We can see what happens when political elites reject their spiritual and civilisational roots, with present-day Ukraine presenting a bitter example. The regime which seized power in Kiev is ready to sacrifice the lives of millions of ordinary Ukrainians for the sake of serving the interests of its masters in the West. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been persecuted for over a decade now, which included taking over churches, vandal attacks, harassing the clergy and parishioners. Judging by the official data from the Kiev junta alone, there were over 180 criminal cases involving clerics, including four archpriests.
<...>
As you know, defending the honour and dignity of our people and compatriots, including their right to use their mother tongue, the Russian language, and to belong to the Orthodox faith, are among the goals of the special military operation. It is rejoicing that even in this regard, the Russian Orthodox Church has been standing with its people in this time of hardship. Its clergy has been carrying out its pastoral duties among the fighters, while praying for peace and calm across our land. <...>
But tension and anxiety go beyond our Western border. Large-scale conflicts have been raging in the Middle East for many years now. <...> We cannot stand aside and do nothing when terrorist and radical groups engage in ethnic cleansing, killings and looting, including on religious grounds. We have already raised the issue of the substantial decline in the number of Christians living in the Middle East. Against this backdrop, efforts by the Russian Orthodox Church acquire a special meaning and importance, considering that it has been offering its effective assistance to the people of its creed there. <...>
I would like to note that the Foreign Ministry’s working group with the Russian Orthodox Church has been working and delivering results for the past 22 years. According to our estimates, this group has established itself as an effective mechanism for enabling us to work together on the key matters of shared interest on the international stage, and our colleagues from the Russian Orthodox Church share this vision. We are convinced that further strengthening this cooperation would help consolidate Russia’s international standing and promote trust, mutual understanding and neighbourly relations among various nations and peoples.
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🇷🇺🇱🇰 23 апреля 2026 г., Посол России в Шри-Ланке Л.С.Джагарян провёл встречу с Министром по делам молодёжи и спорта Шри-Ланки С.К.Гамаге.
В ходе встречи стороны обсудили актуальные вопросы двустороннего сотрудничества и перспективы дальнейшего взаимодействия, а также обменялись мнениями по ключевым направлениям, представляющим взаимный интерес.
💬 Встреча прошла в дружественной атмосфере. По её завершении участники подчеркнули важность поддержания регулярных контактов и выразили уверенность в поступательном развитии сотрудничества.
В ходе встречи стороны обсудили актуальные вопросы двустороннего сотрудничества и перспективы дальнейшего взаимодействия, а также обменялись мнениями по ключевым направлениям, представляющим взаимный интерес.
💬 Встреча прошла в дружественной атмосфере. По её завершении участники подчеркнули важность поддержания регулярных контактов и выразили уверенность в поступательном развитии сотрудничества.
👍3❤2🔥1
🇷🇺 🇱🇰 On April 23, Ambassador of Russia to Sri Lanka, Levan Dzhagaryan, met with Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports of Sri Lanka, Sunil Kumara Gamage.
During the meeting, current issues of bilateral cooperation and prospects for further interaction were discussed. The parties exchanged views on key areas of mutual interest.
💬 The meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere. Following its conclusion, the participants emphasized the importance of maintaining regular contacts and expressed confidence in the continued development of cooperation.
During the meeting, current issues of bilateral cooperation and prospects for further interaction were discussed. The parties exchanged views on key areas of mutual interest.
💬 The meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere. Following its conclusion, the participants emphasized the importance of maintaining regular contacts and expressed confidence in the continued development of cooperation.
❤3👏2🔥1
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#Victory81
🌟 On April 22, 1945, the Red Army liberated the prisoners of the Nazi concentration camp Sachsenhausen during #WW2.
The forces of the 1st Belorussian Front, which had been advancing towards the Reich's capital from the north during the Berlin offensive operation, drove the Nazi troops out of Oranienburg and reached Sachsenhausen, having rescued around 3'000 surviving POWs.
#Sachsenhausen was considered as one of the most terrifying Nazi 'death factories'. Over nine years of its existence, about 200'000 people of various nationalities — citizens of European countries which had suffered from Nazi aggression, including the USSR — passed through that camp. Each month, up to 150 people were brought there. By 1944, citizens of the Soviet Union and Poland made up more than 90% of all Sachsenhausen prisoners.
Sachsenhausen held the most serious political opponents of Hitler, prominent state figures from many European countries defeated by the Nazis, such as France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and the Netherlands, including their heads of government and ministers.
◼️ According to various historical estimates, more than 100'000 prisoners were killed in Sachsenhausen over the time the camp was in operation.
From August to November 1941 alone, at least 10'000 Soviet POWs were killed in Sachsenhausen, and another 3'000 died there from starvation and from conditions that were barbaric, unprecedentedly violent, and, in fact, inhumane.
On the personal orders of Himmler and other top leaders of the Third Reich, classified operations to exterminate people were carried out in Sachsenhausen.
Nazi's military doctors carried out macabre, horrific medical experiments on Sachsenhausen prisoners, including tests with mustard gas — yprite. Test subjects were deliberately mutilated and then exposed to mustard gas. People were forced to inhale the gas, consume it in liquid form, or receive it via injection. Open wounds were intentionally inflicted on prisoners’ hands, after which the gas was applied. In most cases, the victims’ limbs swelled severely, causing excruciating pain.
When the Red Army were rapidly advancing to Sachsenhausen during the Battle of Berlin, the Nazis began hastily covering up the traces of their heinous crimes. The camp administration decided to kill all remaining prisoners — with 45'000 inmates remaining in the camp.
The Nazis killed some of the prisoners in the crematoria of Sachsenhausen, and forced the rest on a 'death march' towards the Baltic Sea where they planned to drown their victims. However, thanks to the successful and rapid advance of the Red Army, these monstrous Nazi plans were thwarted, and the surviving prisoners of Sachsenhausen were rescued.
In aftermath of #WWII, Sachsenhausen was converted into a prison for Nazi criminals, including members of the Nazi NSDAP party, SS troops, and Wehrmacht officers. In November 1947, a trial of the Sachsenhausen administration was held in Berlin.
📑 Excerpt from a report “Reactions of the German population to the trial of criminals from Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp” (Berlin, November 5, 1947; prepared by the 7th Department of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army):
#NoStatuteOfLimitations
The forces of the 1st Belorussian Front, which had been advancing towards the Reich's capital from the north during the Berlin offensive operation, drove the Nazi troops out of Oranienburg and reached Sachsenhausen, having rescued around 3'000 surviving POWs.
#Sachsenhausen was considered as one of the most terrifying Nazi 'death factories'. Over nine years of its existence, about 200'000 people of various nationalities — citizens of European countries which had suffered from Nazi aggression, including the USSR — passed through that camp. Each month, up to 150 people were brought there. By 1944, citizens of the Soviet Union and Poland made up more than 90% of all Sachsenhausen prisoners.
Sachsenhausen held the most serious political opponents of Hitler, prominent state figures from many European countries defeated by the Nazis, such as France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and the Netherlands, including their heads of government and ministers.
◼️ According to various historical estimates, more than 100'000 prisoners were killed in Sachsenhausen over the time the camp was in operation.
From August to November 1941 alone, at least 10'000 Soviet POWs were killed in Sachsenhausen, and another 3'000 died there from starvation and from conditions that were barbaric, unprecedentedly violent, and, in fact, inhumane.
On the personal orders of Himmler and other top leaders of the Third Reich, classified operations to exterminate people were carried out in Sachsenhausen.
Nazi's military doctors carried out macabre, horrific medical experiments on Sachsenhausen prisoners, including tests with mustard gas — yprite. Test subjects were deliberately mutilated and then exposed to mustard gas. People were forced to inhale the gas, consume it in liquid form, or receive it via injection. Open wounds were intentionally inflicted on prisoners’ hands, after which the gas was applied. In most cases, the victims’ limbs swelled severely, causing excruciating pain.
When the Red Army were rapidly advancing to Sachsenhausen during the Battle of Berlin, the Nazis began hastily covering up the traces of their heinous crimes. The camp administration decided to kill all remaining prisoners — with 45'000 inmates remaining in the camp.
The Nazis killed some of the prisoners in the crematoria of Sachsenhausen, and forced the rest on a 'death march' towards the Baltic Sea where they planned to drown their victims. However, thanks to the successful and rapid advance of the Red Army, these monstrous Nazi plans were thwarted, and the surviving prisoners of Sachsenhausen were rescued.
In aftermath of #WWII, Sachsenhausen was converted into a prison for Nazi criminals, including members of the Nazi NSDAP party, SS troops, and Wehrmacht officers. In November 1947, a trial of the Sachsenhausen administration was held in Berlin.
📑 Excerpt from a report “Reactions of the German population to the trial of criminals from Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp” (Berlin, November 5, 1947; prepared by the 7th Department of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army):
<...> The trial of the Sachsenhausen criminals elicited a significant response among the German population... In the comments about the trial, a sense of outrage at the scale of the heinous crimes committed was most often expressed.
It was noted that the Nazis' actions had covered the German people in disgrace.
“We find it incomprehensible how those people could sink lower than beasts. For us, Germans, who culturally considered ourselves almost a head above the Russians, it is a disgrace that these criminals are Germans” (Potsdam).
“The [Sachsenhausen] trial is a terrible disgrace for the German people... <...> It is inconceivable that humans could commit such atrocities. It’s a pity that in the western [occupation] zones such criminals are still walking free.”
“Nazi criminals have nailed an entire generation of Germans to the pillory.”
#NoStatuteOfLimitations
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
☦️ On April 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry hosted the ceremonial opening of an exhibition of Orthodox images painted on armour plates that had saved the lives of servicemen engaged in the special military operation to liberate Donbass and Novorossiya.
More than 40 works of art and spirit were put on display in the Atrium hall at Smolenskaya Square.
💬 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova delivered welcoming remarks to the organisers and guests. She noted:
Remarks were also delivered by Anatoly Lyubavin, Rector of the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute, Sergey Arustamov-Andriyaka, Rector of the Sergey Andriyaka Academy of Watercolour and Fine Arts, and Father Mikhey, a hieromonk of the Danilov Monastery.
The idea for the exhibition came from Russia’s defenders of the Fatherland – servicemen fighting on the front line. In many ways, the project carries forward the ancient Russian tradition of depicting patron saints on battle gear.
Each “canvas” was brought back from the battlefield. Each one stands as a life saved.
The images painted on the armour plates were proposed by priests of the Moscow Danilov Monastery and created by students of the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute and the Sergey Andriyaka Academy of Watercolour and Fine Arts.
The project is truly unique. Its realization required the development of a special painting technique and meticulous work with the materials. All the images were consecrated.
Some of the holy images have already been donated to Moscow oncology centres and educational institutions. In the future, they will also be placed in schools and other educational establishments, serving as places of remembrance dedicated to the heroism of those defending the Fatherland.
More than 40 works of art and spirit were put on display in the Atrium hall at Smolenskaya Square.
💬 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova delivered welcoming remarks to the organisers and guests. She noted:
As a rule, when the wounded are evacuated from the battlefield, priority is given to carrying the serviceman himself to safety. Given its weight, his gear is usually left behind. But in this case, despite the danger, their body armour vests were also brought back from the battlefield.
Having endured such a difficult and terrifying journey, the armour plates then became more than a tangible testimony to a life saved. Through people’s creativity, talent and spiritual dedication, they were transformed into something greater than mere objects – into works imbued with a different, immaterial and higher meaning.
Remarks were also delivered by Anatoly Lyubavin, Rector of the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute, Sergey Arustamov-Andriyaka, Rector of the Sergey Andriyaka Academy of Watercolour and Fine Arts, and Father Mikhey, a hieromonk of the Danilov Monastery.
The idea for the exhibition came from Russia’s defenders of the Fatherland – servicemen fighting on the front line. In many ways, the project carries forward the ancient Russian tradition of depicting patron saints on battle gear.
Each “canvas” was brought back from the battlefield. Each one stands as a life saved.
The images painted on the armour plates were proposed by priests of the Moscow Danilov Monastery and created by students of the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute and the Sergey Andriyaka Academy of Watercolour and Fine Arts.
The project is truly unique. Its realization required the development of a special painting technique and meticulous work with the materials. All the images were consecrated.
Some of the holy images have already been donated to Moscow oncology centres and educational institutions. In the future, they will also be placed in schools and other educational establishments, serving as places of remembrance dedicated to the heroism of those defending the Fatherland.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at a meeting of the Supervisory Board and Board of Trustees of Foreign Ministry’s MGIMO University (Moscow, April 23, 2026)
💬 I would like to note MGIMO leadership’s efforts to preserve Russia’s historical and diplomatic heritage.
Not long ago, the latest two-volume edition of The History of Diplomacy was published, introducing previously unused archival materials into academic circulation. Projects aimed at popularising the scholarly legacy of the internationally renowned historian and first head of MGIMO’s Department of the History of International Relations Yevgeny Tarle and the first director of MGIMO Ivan Udaltsov deserve the highest praise.
2025 marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The university’s faculty made an invaluable contribution to preparing materials for a number of books and articles devoted to inextricable link between the outcomes of the Second World War and the modern-day international relations system.
☝️ We will continue working to preserve historical memory and to prevent the attempts to distort Russian and world history.
On April 19, Russia marked the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People for the first time. Russian diplomacy will consistently seek international recognition of the crimes committed by Nazis and their accomplices against Soviet civilians of all ethnic backgrounds as genocide.
I am positive that MGIMO’s specialized departments, with their extensive track record in historiographical research and the defence of national interests at the present stage of global development when Nazism, particularly in Europe, is once again rearing its ugly head, will find a niche of their own in this work.
Such efforts can seamlessly complement MGIMO’s activities in promoting Russian education and the Russian language internationally, as well as strengthening mutual understanding and trust between nations, primarily in the near abroad.
The opening in 2025 of MGIMO's branch in Kazakhstan came as an important milestone in this regard with 100 undergraduate and master’s students studying at MGIMO-Astana.
🤝 MGIMO’s push to diversify ties with its partner universities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America deserves every support it can get.
The signing of a memorandum of understanding between MGIMO and Hanoi State University in May 2025 in the presence of Russia’s and Vietnam’s top leaders was a signature event. We support MGIMO’s plans to launch its first academic programme at its new Hanoi branch in 2025.
We also welcome the efforts to gradually resume partner programmes leading to dual degrees. The fact that such work is underway primarily with the university’s partners from the #GlobalMajority countries fully reflects current geopolitical realities.
Importantly, universities from China, our great eastern neighbour, with which our relations continue to strengthen across all areas, are among MGIMO’s partners. Prospects are good for establishing similar arrangements with our friends from the #BRICS countries.
💬 I would like to note MGIMO leadership’s efforts to preserve Russia’s historical and diplomatic heritage.
Not long ago, the latest two-volume edition of The History of Diplomacy was published, introducing previously unused archival materials into academic circulation. Projects aimed at popularising the scholarly legacy of the internationally renowned historian and first head of MGIMO’s Department of the History of International Relations Yevgeny Tarle and the first director of MGIMO Ivan Udaltsov deserve the highest praise.
2025 marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The university’s faculty made an invaluable contribution to preparing materials for a number of books and articles devoted to inextricable link between the outcomes of the Second World War and the modern-day international relations system.
☝️ We will continue working to preserve historical memory and to prevent the attempts to distort Russian and world history.
On April 19, Russia marked the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People for the first time. Russian diplomacy will consistently seek international recognition of the crimes committed by Nazis and their accomplices against Soviet civilians of all ethnic backgrounds as genocide.
I am positive that MGIMO’s specialized departments, with their extensive track record in historiographical research and the defence of national interests at the present stage of global development when Nazism, particularly in Europe, is once again rearing its ugly head, will find a niche of their own in this work.
Such efforts can seamlessly complement MGIMO’s activities in promoting Russian education and the Russian language internationally, as well as strengthening mutual understanding and trust between nations, primarily in the near abroad.
The opening in 2025 of MGIMO's branch in Kazakhstan came as an important milestone in this regard with 100 undergraduate and master’s students studying at MGIMO-Astana.
🤝 MGIMO’s push to diversify ties with its partner universities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America deserves every support it can get.
The signing of a memorandum of understanding between MGIMO and Hanoi State University in May 2025 in the presence of Russia’s and Vietnam’s top leaders was a signature event. We support MGIMO’s plans to launch its first academic programme at its new Hanoi branch in 2025.
We also welcome the efforts to gradually resume partner programmes leading to dual degrees. The fact that such work is underway primarily with the university’s partners from the #GlobalMajority countries fully reflects current geopolitical realities.
Importantly, universities from China, our great eastern neighbour, with which our relations continue to strengthen across all areas, are among MGIMO’s partners. Prospects are good for establishing similar arrangements with our friends from the #BRICS countries.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#WeWereAllies
🌟 On April 25, 1945, a landmark event took place in history of anti-Hitler coalition and #WW2 — near the German town of Torgau, just 100 kilometers from Berlin, on the Elbe River, Soviet soldiers shook hands with their American brothers-in-arms, marking the imminent collapse of Nazi Germany and underscoring the joint success of the Allied powers in the final battle against Nazism.
#OTD 8️⃣1️⃣ years ago, the 58th Rifle Division of the 1st Ukrainian Front under Marshal Ivan Konev’s command aligned with the units of the 69th and 104th infantry divisions of the First US Army led by Omar Nelson Bradley.
The historic #ElbeDay was more than just an extremely powerful symbol — in fact, it served as a sign of the coming fall of the Third Reich.
This spirit of unity and brotherhood in fighting a common enemy was later called as the #SpiritOfTheElbe and believed to be the very moment when the Allied #WWII-era USSR-USA relations were at their peak.
***
🤝 The historic Elbe Day took place in the morning of April 25, when a US reconnaissance unit crossed the river, and the units of the 1st Ukrainian Front’s 58th Rifle Division finally aligned with the US First Army’s 69th Infantry Division.
Both sides were eagerly waiting for that landmark day — to finally have a long-awaited handshake as brothers-in-arms.
Back then in April 1945, the Soviet and American soldiers were brothers who put aside all their cultural differences and forgot about the language barrier when exchanging their badges and decorations, as well as other belongings and even valuables. Commander of the US First Army’s 7th Corps in Europe, Joe Collins, nominated for US military rewards a number of Soviet soldiers who had performed exceptional feats when advancing towards the Elbe.
💬 Joe Pawlowski, who served as a private in a US reconnaissance unit, recalled that this had been a historical moment when the representatives of the two nations met each other, with Soviet and American soldiers taking a solemn oath to do their best to make sure that the horrors of war never happen again.
💬 On April 28, Marshal Konev met with General Bradley. The American commander said, as quoted by frontline writer Boris Polevoy in his book All the Way to Berlin, that the American nation had always respected the glorious Red Army in its combat operations and victories, while American soldiers and officers sought to follow the example performed by Marshal Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front’s units.
***
🇷🇺🇺🇸 On April 25, 2020, Presidents of Russia and the United States issued the Joint statement commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the meeting on the Elbe, which read, in part:
🎖 #Victory80: On April 25, 2025, Russia and the United States marked the 8️⃣0️⃣th Anniversary of the Elbe Day by holding the first, after a three-year pause, memorial ceremony to celebrate the legendary “Spirit of the Elbe” at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, which became possible after the atmosphere in bilateral relations had changed with the arrival of a new administration at the White House.
💬 Russia’s Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev:
#Victory81
#OTD 8️⃣1️⃣ years ago, the 58th Rifle Division of the 1st Ukrainian Front under Marshal Ivan Konev’s command aligned with the units of the 69th and 104th infantry divisions of the First US Army led by Omar Nelson Bradley.
The historic #ElbeDay was more than just an extremely powerful symbol — in fact, it served as a sign of the coming fall of the Third Reich.
This spirit of unity and brotherhood in fighting a common enemy was later called as the #SpiritOfTheElbe and believed to be the very moment when the Allied #WWII-era USSR-USA relations were at their peak.
***
🤝 The historic Elbe Day took place in the morning of April 25, when a US reconnaissance unit crossed the river, and the units of the 1st Ukrainian Front’s 58th Rifle Division finally aligned with the US First Army’s 69th Infantry Division.
Both sides were eagerly waiting for that landmark day — to finally have a long-awaited handshake as brothers-in-arms.
Back then in April 1945, the Soviet and American soldiers were brothers who put aside all their cultural differences and forgot about the language barrier when exchanging their badges and decorations, as well as other belongings and even valuables. Commander of the US First Army’s 7th Corps in Europe, Joe Collins, nominated for US military rewards a number of Soviet soldiers who had performed exceptional feats when advancing towards the Elbe.
💬 Joe Pawlowski, who served as a private in a US reconnaissance unit, recalled that this had been a historical moment when the representatives of the two nations met each other, with Soviet and American soldiers taking a solemn oath to do their best to make sure that the horrors of war never happen again.
This was our Oath of the Elbe. <…>
We embraced each other and pledged to remember our meeting forever.
💬 On April 28, Marshal Konev met with General Bradley. The American commander said, as quoted by frontline writer Boris Polevoy in his book All the Way to Berlin, that the American nation had always respected the glorious Red Army in its combat operations and victories, while American soldiers and officers sought to follow the example performed by Marshal Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front’s units.
***
🇷🇺🇺🇸 On April 25, 2020, Presidents of Russia and the United States issued the Joint statement commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the meeting on the Elbe, which read, in part:
The “Spirit of the Elbe” is an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause.
🎖 #Victory80: On April 25, 2025, Russia and the United States marked the 8️⃣0️⃣th Anniversary of the Elbe Day by holding the first, after a three-year pause, memorial ceremony to celebrate the legendary “Spirit of the Elbe” at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, which became possible after the atmosphere in bilateral relations had changed with the arrival of a new administration at the White House.
💬 Russia’s Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev:
The “Spirit of the Elbe” symbolises the brotherhood-in-arms of the two great powers which fought together despite their political differences.
It serves as an example of #RussiaUS relations moving in the right direction for bringing them back to normal and ensuring that common sense prevails.
#Victory81
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