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This bitter battle lasted 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ days on the banks of the Don and Volga rivers, at the walls of Stalingrad, and finally in the city itself. The Battle for Stalingrad surpassed all previous battles in world history in its scale and intensity.
Up to 2.1 million people took part in the battle on both sides at a given time.
By late June, 1942, the enemy had concentrated at a front some 600–650 kilometres long from Kursk to Taganrog up to 35 percent of the infantry and over 50 percent of the tank and motorised divisions from the overall number of forces on the Soviet-German front.
☝️ However, their plans to win because of significant forces in this area were not destined to come true.
The Battle of Stalingrad includes two periods:
Defensive: from July 17 to November 18, 1942
Offensive: from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.
There were no long pauses or lulls in the battle - the fighting was continuous. Stalingrad for the Nazi was a kind of "mill", which grinded thousands of German soldiers and officers.
The invaders lost a quarter of its forces on the Soviet-German front during this battle with the total losses, including the dead and wounded, prisoners of war and those who went missing, totalling around 1.5 million people. This led Germany to announce its first national day of mourning during the war.
The victory in Stalingrad created conditions enabling Soviet forces to mount a large-scale counteroffensive aimed at expelling the invaders from the Motherland.
☝️ Not only did this massive feat increase the international prestige of the USSR & the Red Army, but also helped strengthen the anti-Hitler coalition.
📖 Learn more
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🗓 On February 14, 1943, the Red Army liberated Voroshilovgrad (now Lugansk) during Operation Leap.
The strength of the German Wehrmacht was significantly weakened following the defeat of Nazi forces near Stalingrad. This paved the way for the liberation of Donbass.
🥇 Soviet forces under the command of Colonel General Nikolai Vatutin launched a two-pronged attack to liberate the city by advancing on Ostraya Mogila and a flour plant. The Third Guards Army, led by Lieutenant General Dmitry Lelyushenko, and the Fifth Tank Division, commanded by Major General Ivan Shlemin, engaged the enemy in the battle for Voroshilovgrad.
🕯 German invaders had occupied Voroshilovgrad for over seven months, during which they executed thousands of civilians. Many people died of starvation. Over 4,000 people were deported to Germany for forced labour.
The enemy destroyed over 2,500 buildings, including seven out of the nine schools, and 65 medical institutions, including almost all outpatient clinics.
Red Army personnel fought resolutely to liberate Voroshilovgrad, displaying extraordinary courage, fortitude and heroism. In total, 10,000 Red Army officers and soldiers lost their lives in the battle for the city.
⚔️ Voroshilovgrad became the first regional centre of Soviet Ukraine to be liberated during the Great Patriotic War. Operation Leap marked the beginning of the liberation of the Ukrainian SSR by the Red Army.
In September 1943, Soviet forces expelled the enemy from the Voroshilovgrad Region. Over 120,000 Soviet officers and soldiers were killed in action.
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The strength of the German Wehrmacht was significantly weakened following the defeat of Nazi forces near Stalingrad. This paved the way for the liberation of Donbass.
🕯 German invaders had occupied Voroshilovgrad for over seven months, during which they executed thousands of civilians. Many people died of starvation. Over 4,000 people were deported to Germany for forced labour.
The enemy destroyed over 2,500 buildings, including seven out of the nine schools, and 65 medical institutions, including almost all outpatient clinics.
Red Army personnel fought resolutely to liberate Voroshilovgrad, displaying extraordinary courage, fortitude and heroism. In total, 10,000 Red Army officers and soldiers lost their lives in the battle for the city.
⚔️ Voroshilovgrad became the first regional centre of Soviet Ukraine to be liberated during the Great Patriotic War. Operation Leap marked the beginning of the liberation of the Ukrainian SSR by the Red Army.
In September 1943, Soviet forces expelled the enemy from the Voroshilovgrad Region. Over 120,000 Soviet officers and soldiers were killed in action.
#Victory79
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🗓 On April 10, 1944, exactly 8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, the forces of the Third Ukrainian Front under the command of Army General Rodion Malinovsky ousted Nazi German and Romanian invaders from Odessa.
🕯 The Nazi occupation of the city lasted 907 days. During this period, approximately 200,000 people died in Odessa and in the region. Many of them fell victim to mass bloody massacres and brutal executions. About 78,000 people were deported to Germany for forced labour; plants and factories were destroyed; and over 2,000 buildings, including hospitals and schools, were blown up or burned down.
During their retreat, German and Romanian troops shot at ordinary people, including the elderly, women and children and mined the most important buildings, plants, the power station and the seaport.
⚔️ The Red Army inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy with over 27,000 soldiers and officers killed and more than 11,000 taken prisoner. The enemy also lost 952 artillery pieces, 443 tanks and assault guns, and 97 ammunition and food depots.
The liberation of Odessa by the Red Army disrupted supplies to the German army group in Crimea and opened the way to an offensive towards the Balkans.
During the entire period of occupation, local citizens resisted the Nazis. After the city was captured, they went into catacombs. During the war, Odessa underground fighters and partisans destroyed over 5,000 enemy soldiers and officers, 248 motor vehicles, and saved about 20,000 Soviet citizens from being forcibly exported to Germany.
In honour of the liberation of Odessa, 324 artillery pieces made 24 salvoes in Moscow.
🎖 The honorable title of Odessa units was conferred on 27 formations and units that distinguished themselves during the operation. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to 14 people and over 2,000 people received Soviet orders and medals.
On May 8, 1965, Odessa was officially declared Hero City.
#Victory79
🕯 The Nazi occupation of the city lasted 907 days. During this period, approximately 200,000 people died in Odessa and in the region. Many of them fell victim to mass bloody massacres and brutal executions. About 78,000 people were deported to Germany for forced labour; plants and factories were destroyed; and over 2,000 buildings, including hospitals and schools, were blown up or burned down.
During their retreat, German and Romanian troops shot at ordinary people, including the elderly, women and children and mined the most important buildings, plants, the power station and the seaport.
⚔️ The Red Army inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy with over 27,000 soldiers and officers killed and more than 11,000 taken prisoner. The enemy also lost 952 artillery pieces, 443 tanks and assault guns, and 97 ammunition and food depots.
The liberation of Odessa by the Red Army disrupted supplies to the German army group in Crimea and opened the way to an offensive towards the Balkans.
During the entire period of occupation, local citizens resisted the Nazis. After the city was captured, they went into catacombs. During the war, Odessa underground fighters and partisans destroyed over 5,000 enemy soldiers and officers, 248 motor vehicles, and saved about 20,000 Soviet citizens from being forcibly exported to Germany.
In honour of the liberation of Odessa, 324 artillery pieces made 24 salvoes in Moscow.
On May 8, 1965, Odessa was officially declared Hero City.
#Victory79
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📅 On April 16, 1945, the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation was launched. It led to the final rout of the main German Nazi forces, the seizure of Berlin and the linking up with the troops of the Western allies. Over 3.5 million people took part in this large battle for the future of Europe.
The main Soviet forces were those of the 2nd Byelorussian Front under the command of Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, the 1st Byelorussian Front under the command of Marshall Georgy Zhukov and the First Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshall Ivan Konev. The Dnieper Military Flotilla, part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet and the 1st and 2nd Armies of the Polish Armed Forces were also involved in the hostilities.
The operation started with a night attack during which 143 searchlights were used to blind the enemy. Soviet attack forces quickly broke through the first line of enemy defences but later on, the troops of the 1st Byelorussian Front under Marshal Zhukov were faced with strong resistance on the Seelow Heights.
After fierce fighting on the approaches to the city on April 25, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the 1st Byelorussian Front linked up to the west of the Third Reich capital, having completed the encirclement of the German group. The fighting for Reichstag began on April 29.
By the late hours of May 5, the enemy resistance was finally suppressed and 134,000 German soldiers and officers surrendered. On the night of May 9, Marshal Zhukov together with representatives of the British, American and French commands accepted unconditional surrender of German troops in Karlshorst. The war in Europe was over.
☝️ During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops not only surrounded and defeated one of the Wehrmacht’s largest groups but also liberated about 200,000 prisoners of Nazi camps in the zone of hostilities. Over 600 participants in the operation were awarded with the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
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The main Soviet forces were those of the 2nd Byelorussian Front under the command of Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, the 1st Byelorussian Front under the command of Marshall Georgy Zhukov and the First Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshall Ivan Konev. The Dnieper Military Flotilla, part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet and the 1st and 2nd Armies of the Polish Armed Forces were also involved in the hostilities.
The operation started with a night attack during which 143 searchlights were used to blind the enemy. Soviet attack forces quickly broke through the first line of enemy defences but later on, the troops of the 1st Byelorussian Front under Marshal Zhukov were faced with strong resistance on the Seelow Heights.
After fierce fighting on the approaches to the city on April 25, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the 1st Byelorussian Front linked up to the west of the Third Reich capital, having completed the encirclement of the German group. The fighting for Reichstag began on April 29.
By the late hours of May 5, the enemy resistance was finally suppressed and 134,000 German soldiers and officers surrendered. On the night of May 9, Marshal Zhukov together with representatives of the British, American and French commands accepted unconditional surrender of German troops in Karlshorst. The war in Europe was over.
☝️ During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops not only surrounded and defeated one of the Wehrmacht’s largest groups but also liberated about 200,000 prisoners of Nazi camps in the zone of hostilities. Over 600 participants in the operation were awarded with the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
#Victory79
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🗓 On April 26, 1945, the Red Army liberated Brno from the Nazi invaders as part of the Bratislava-Brno operation.
In early April 1945, the Red Army expelled the Nazis from Bratislava and by April 22, units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front breached the Wehrmacht’s Moravia defensive line and encircled the Brno sector. The Soviet forces launched an attack on the Nazis the following day.
🏭 After Czechoslovakia was occupied, a highly important industrial centre Brno became a significant production hub of the Third Reich where Skoda and Zbrojovka weapons manufacturers were located. One of Auschwitz sub-camps was also located there.
For those reasons the Nazi invaders mounted desperate counterattacks in an effort to halt the Red Army’s onslaught. However, by April 25, Soviet units had already reached several sectors of Brno, engaging the enemy on the outskirts and crossing the Svitava River. By the evening of April 26, Soviet forces established control over the entire city. On the same day, Moscow ordered a 224-gun artillery salute to commemorate this event.
🎖 The 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps, under the command of Ludvik Svoboda, and Czechoslovak partisans played an active role in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, providing substantial support to the Red Army units. Six Czechoslovak citizens were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for their deeds during the Great Patriotic War, more than any other foreign nationals.
☝️ With the liberation of Brno, the Red Army was able to outmanoeuvre the remaining enemy forces on a broad front, preparing for a direct assault on the Nazi forces, occupying Prague.
#Victory79
In early April 1945, the Red Army expelled the Nazis from Bratislava and by April 22, units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front breached the Wehrmacht’s Moravia defensive line and encircled the Brno sector. The Soviet forces launched an attack on the Nazis the following day.
🏭 After Czechoslovakia was occupied, a highly important industrial centre Brno became a significant production hub of the Third Reich where Skoda and Zbrojovka weapons manufacturers were located. One of Auschwitz sub-camps was also located there.
For those reasons the Nazi invaders mounted desperate counterattacks in an effort to halt the Red Army’s onslaught. However, by April 25, Soviet units had already reached several sectors of Brno, engaging the enemy on the outskirts and crossing the Svitava River. By the evening of April 26, Soviet forces established control over the entire city. On the same day, Moscow ordered a 224-gun artillery salute to commemorate this event.
☝️ With the liberation of Brno, the Red Army was able to outmanoeuvre the remaining enemy forces on a broad front, preparing for a direct assault on the Nazi forces, occupying Prague.
#Victory79
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📅 On April 30, 1945, Soviet soldiers Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev & Grigory Bulatov raised the first Red Banner on the facade of the Reichstag.
The distance between the former Himmler's house and the Reichstag was less than 500 metres. Bulatov & Koshkarbayev struggled for 7 hours, crossing this distance under heavy fire, with a makeshift flag - a flagpole with a simple scarlet cloth.
According to the 150th Division's combat log, at 14:25 Bulatov & Koshkarbayev "crawled to the central part of the building and placed a red flag on the steps of the main entrance". It was the first of the banners the liberators raised over the Reichstag.
🎖 Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev & Grigory Bulatov were awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the courage and heroism during the assualt on the Reichstag. Monuments to Koshkarbayev have been erected in his home region of Akmola in Kazakhstan and in the republic's capital, Astana, and to Bulatov in Kirov.
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The distance between the former Himmler's house and the Reichstag was less than 500 metres. Bulatov & Koshkarbayev struggled for 7 hours, crossing this distance under heavy fire, with a makeshift flag - a flagpole with a simple scarlet cloth.
According to the 150th Division's combat log, at 14:25 Bulatov & Koshkarbayev "crawled to the central part of the building and placed a red flag on the steps of the main entrance". It was the first of the banners the liberators raised over the Reichstag.
🎖 Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev & Grigory Bulatov were awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the courage and heroism during the assualt on the Reichstag. Monuments to Koshkarbayev have been erected in his home region of Akmola in Kazakhstan and in the republic's capital, Astana, and to Bulatov in Kirov.
#Victory79
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📅 In the early hours of May 1, 1945, the #VictoryBanner was raised atop of the Reichstag during the Battle of Berlin. It became a symbol of the triumph of the Soviet Union & its peoples in the fight against Nazism.
Before the assault, a decision was made for a group of Soviet fighters to hoist the flag over the Reichstag, which would embody the final collapse of Nazism.
🚩 A total of 9 makeshift banners were promptly made, designed after the state flag of the USSR. Ultimately, a battle flag of the 150th Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Idritsa Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belarusian Front, became the Victory Banner.
The order of events:
• A Red Army unit broke into the Reichstag through breaches in the walls, with a fierce close combat unleashing. The Nazis took advantage of effectively advancing inside the building they new well, throwing grenades at Soviet soldiers & firing back with machine-guns: they basically had nothing to lose.
• Lieutenant R.Koshkarbayev & private G.Bulatov placed a makeshift red flag to the column on the steps of the Reichstag main entrance.
• Staff sergeants G.Zagitov, A.Lisimenko & A.Bobrov as well as Sergeant M.Minin supported by Captain S.Neustroyev’s battalion were the 1st to hoist a red banner on the roof of the Reichstag atop of the Goddess of Victory sculpture.
• The 3rd red banner was raised on the western facade of the roof by the scouts of the 674th Regiment led by Lieutenant S.Sorokin.
• Finally, the Red Banner №5 was raised over the dome of the captured Reichstag by the 756th Rifle Regiment’s scouts, Sergeant M.Yegorov & Junior Sergeant M.Kantariya, led by deputy battalion commander Lieutenant A.Berest, covered by riflemen from I.Sayanov’s squad. That flag ultimately became the Victory Banner.
📃 By a Presidential Executive Order of April 15, 1996, the Red Banner hoisted atop of the Reichstag by Yegorov & Kantariya was declared the symbol of the Soviet people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
#Victory79
Before the assault, a decision was made for a group of Soviet fighters to hoist the flag over the Reichstag, which would embody the final collapse of Nazism.
🚩 A total of 9 makeshift banners were promptly made, designed after the state flag of the USSR. Ultimately, a battle flag of the 150th Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Idritsa Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belarusian Front, became the Victory Banner.
The order of events:
• A Red Army unit broke into the Reichstag through breaches in the walls, with a fierce close combat unleashing. The Nazis took advantage of effectively advancing inside the building they new well, throwing grenades at Soviet soldiers & firing back with machine-guns: they basically had nothing to lose.
• Lieutenant R.Koshkarbayev & private G.Bulatov placed a makeshift red flag to the column on the steps of the Reichstag main entrance.
• Staff sergeants G.Zagitov, A.Lisimenko & A.Bobrov as well as Sergeant M.Minin supported by Captain S.Neustroyev’s battalion were the 1st to hoist a red banner on the roof of the Reichstag atop of the Goddess of Victory sculpture.
• The 3rd red banner was raised on the western facade of the roof by the scouts of the 674th Regiment led by Lieutenant S.Sorokin.
• Finally, the Red Banner №5 was raised over the dome of the captured Reichstag by the 756th Rifle Regiment’s scouts, Sergeant M.Yegorov & Junior Sergeant M.Kantariya, led by deputy battalion commander Lieutenant A.Berest, covered by riflemen from I.Sayanov’s squad. That flag ultimately became the Victory Banner.
📃 By a Presidential Executive Order of April 15, 1996, the Red Banner hoisted atop of the Reichstag by Yegorov & Kantariya was declared the symbol of the Soviet people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
#Victory79
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🕯 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
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🗓️ On June 23, 1944, 80 years ago, one of the most large scale & successful strategic offensives of the World War II began — Operation Bagration. In two months of fighting along a front line of more than 1100 km the Red Army reached the Elgava — Dobele — Siauliai — Suwalki — Prague (suburb of Warsaw) — Vistula River line by August 29, liberating the Belarusian SSR, parts of the Lithuanian & Latvian SSRs, and eastern areas of Poland from the Nazi invaders.
By the summer of 1944, the Red Army had managed to push German forces away from Leningrad, liberate Crimea & right-bank Ukraine, and reach the Romanian border. However, the Nazi occupiers still controlled a significant part of Belarus, where they had spent three years committing atrocities: burning entire villages with their inhabitants, systematically exterminating millions of civilians & prisoners of war.
🔴 From June 23 to 28, 1944, Soviet Army began an offensive along the front line from Polotsk to Mozyr. It was carried out simultaneously in six sectors.
🔴 Red Army units successfully broke through the German defences and began rapid advances. By July 3, Minsk and Vitebsk were liberated.
🔴 By the end of July, almost all of Belarus was liberated.
⚔️ Several large German groups were surrounded and destroyed: Vitebsk & Bobruisk, then Orsha & Mogilev troops, causing enormous irreparable losses to the enemy.
☝️ As a result of the operation, Army Group Centre was defeated, major rivers Berezina, Neman, & Vistula were crossed, and important bridgeheads on their western banks were captured. The front line moved westwards up to 550–600 km.
🎖 Soviet soldiers and commanders who took part in the operation demonstrated mass heroism, brilliant preparation, & the highest level of military art. Over 1,500 Red Army soldiers of various nationalities were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and hundreds of thousands received orders and medals.
#Victory79
By the summer of 1944, the Red Army had managed to push German forces away from Leningrad, liberate Crimea & right-bank Ukraine, and reach the Romanian border. However, the Nazi occupiers still controlled a significant part of Belarus, where they had spent three years committing atrocities: burning entire villages with their inhabitants, systematically exterminating millions of civilians & prisoners of war.
🔴 From June 23 to 28, 1944, Soviet Army began an offensive along the front line from Polotsk to Mozyr. It was carried out simultaneously in six sectors.
🔴 Red Army units successfully broke through the German defences and began rapid advances. By July 3, Minsk and Vitebsk were liberated.
🔴 By the end of July, almost all of Belarus was liberated.
⚔️ Several large German groups were surrounded and destroyed: Vitebsk & Bobruisk, then Orsha & Mogilev troops, causing enormous irreparable losses to the enemy.
☝️ As a result of the operation, Army Group Centre was defeated, major rivers Berezina, Neman, & Vistula were crossed, and important bridgeheads on their western banks were captured. The front line moved westwards up to 550–600 km.
🎖 Soviet soldiers and commanders who took part in the operation demonstrated mass heroism, brilliant preparation, & the highest level of military art. Over 1,500 Red Army soldiers of various nationalities were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and hundreds of thousands received orders and medals.
#Victory79
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The official ceremony involved combined regiments from all fronts, the Navy, military academies and schools, as well as units of the Moscow Garrison.
🕙 The parade began at 10 am sharp and lasted for over two hours. Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky commanded the parade, with Deputy Supreme Commander in Chief – Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov taking the parade.
In all, 12 combined regiments were deployed ahead of this history-making event. Each regiment consisted of over 1'000 most distinguished service personnel, including Heroes of the Soviet Union and holders of the Order of Glory.
As the Kremlin Chimes started ringing, Marshal Georgy Zhukov exited the Spasskaya Tower Gate, riding a white horse. Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky sitting on a black horse approached him and reported that everything was ready for the parade.
At the same time, a brass band comprising 1'400 musicians deployed in the square’s central section and performed the patriotic song Glory to You, My Russia by Mikhail Glinka. The marshals inspected the troops and greeted the participants. After that, Marshal Zhukov mounted the rostrum of the Lenin Mausoleum and delivered an official speech.
On June 24, 1945, about 40'000 service personnel marched through Red Square, and about 1'850 pieces of military equipment rolled past. At the end of the parade, 200 banners of defeated German forces were thrown to the ground in front of the Lenin Mausoleum.
The parade ended at noon to the sounds of a march played by a combined brass band of the Moscow Garrison. In all, the parade involved 24 marshals, 249 generals, 2'536 other officers, as well as 31'116 sergeants and soldiers.
🔗 Read our full material for more information
#Victory79 #WeRemember #NoSatuteOfLimitations
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🗓 On 29 June 1941 the Battle for the Zapolyarye Polar Region began.
It lasted until 1 November 1944 and culminated in a decisive Red Army's victory over the Nazis and their cronies. The war theatre of the its initial part comprised the Murmansk region, Karelia, Barents, White and Kara Seas.
The Third Reich sought to capture the Kola Peninsula and Murmansk, the country's only ice-free port beyond the Arctic Circle, where the Northern Fleet of the USSR was stationed, at any cost. The German command's plan was to to break through the Soviet defence, deprive the USSR of access to the Arctic Ocean and advance to the east with Finland fighting side by side with the Nazis and pursuing its goal to occupy the Kola Peninsula and Soviet Karelia.
⚔️ Hitler threw Army "Norway" (97 thousand strong) to achieve this goals against the 14th Army of the Northern Front, a little over 50,000 people. The offensive of the united German-Finnish forces lasted a week, despite numerical advantage ultimately failed and stalled, not able to overcome the Red Army's resistance. They were forced to engage and retain defensive positions, while being bogged down in the Arctic for a prolonged period.
Yet the Nazis did not abandon attempts to if not capture Murmansk, then destroy it. Residential quarters were mercilessly bombed. All in all the Luftwaffe performed 792 air raids, having dropped 207 thousand bombs. To give this a perspective: by sheer density of air strikes Murmansk is second only to Stalingrad.
Finland's forced withdrawal from the war in autumn 1944 created favourable conditions for the Red Army to go on the offensive. In the course of the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation Soviet forces not only liberated the occupied areas of the Soviet Polar Regions but also provided invaluable assistance in the liberation of Norway.
⭐️ In total, more than 67 thousand Soviet soldiers perished in the battles at this war theatre. On December 5, 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR established the medal "For the Defence of the Soviet Polar Region", which was awarded to about 353 thousand people.
Contemporary Norwegian politician Just Lippe of the time wrote back in the day: "The Soviet army came to Norway not only as a military force, but also as a friend of the Norwegian people". In Oslo, Kirkenes, Budø, Elvenes and a number of other cities there are monuments to our soldiers with the inscription "Norway thanks you".
However, today, where the Soviet heroes selflessly & valiantly fought, including for the liberation of Norway, NATO troops regularly conduct anti-Russian military exercises and build-up military potential quite reminiscent of what the Third Reich did, while true pages of our common history are being torn apart and forgotten. That we won't allow ☝️ as #WeRemember
#Victory79
It lasted until 1 November 1944 and culminated in a decisive Red Army's victory over the Nazis and their cronies. The war theatre of the its initial part comprised the Murmansk region, Karelia, Barents, White and Kara Seas.
The Third Reich sought to capture the Kola Peninsula and Murmansk, the country's only ice-free port beyond the Arctic Circle, where the Northern Fleet of the USSR was stationed, at any cost. The German command's plan was to to break through the Soviet defence, deprive the USSR of access to the Arctic Ocean and advance to the east with Finland fighting side by side with the Nazis and pursuing its goal to occupy the Kola Peninsula and Soviet Karelia.
⚔️ Hitler threw Army "Norway" (97 thousand strong) to achieve this goals against the 14th Army of the Northern Front, a little over 50,000 people. The offensive of the united German-Finnish forces lasted a week, despite numerical advantage ultimately failed and stalled, not able to overcome the Red Army's resistance. They were forced to engage and retain defensive positions, while being bogged down in the Arctic for a prolonged period.
Yet the Nazis did not abandon attempts to if not capture Murmansk, then destroy it. Residential quarters were mercilessly bombed. All in all the Luftwaffe performed 792 air raids, having dropped 207 thousand bombs. To give this a perspective: by sheer density of air strikes Murmansk is second only to Stalingrad.
Finland's forced withdrawal from the war in autumn 1944 created favourable conditions for the Red Army to go on the offensive. In the course of the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation Soviet forces not only liberated the occupied areas of the Soviet Polar Regions but also provided invaluable assistance in the liberation of Norway.
⭐️ In total, more than 67 thousand Soviet soldiers perished in the battles at this war theatre. On December 5, 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR established the medal "For the Defence of the Soviet Polar Region", which was awarded to about 353 thousand people.
Contemporary Norwegian politician Just Lippe of the time wrote back in the day: "The Soviet army came to Norway not only as a military force, but also as a friend of the Norwegian people". In Oslo, Kirkenes, Budø, Elvenes and a number of other cities there are monuments to our soldiers with the inscription "Norway thanks you".
However, today, where the Soviet heroes selflessly & valiantly fought, including for the liberation of Norway, NATO troops regularly conduct anti-Russian military exercises and build-up military potential quite reminiscent of what the Third Reich did, while true pages of our common history are being torn apart and forgotten. That we won't allow ☝️ as #WeRemember
#Victory79
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▪️ #OnThisDay in 1942, the German air force launched its first massive bombardment of Stalingrad. This attack was both unprecedented in scale and marked by extreme cruelty, lasting for approximately three hours and resulting in the deaths of over 40,000 people.
The invaders dropped thousands of tonnes of various air bombs, including incendiary bombs containing phosphorous. The resulting carpet bombing devastated over half of the city’s housing, as well as a sports centre, the city library, several hospitals and educational institutions.
✍️ Excerpt from the memoirs of Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrey Yeryomenko: “During the bombing, pillars of fire and smoke soared upwards in different places without interruption. Immense columns of flame rose to the skies near oil depots. Streams of burning oil and gasoline rushed into the Volga River. <...> The screech of bombs flying from above mixed with the roar of explosions, the grinding and clanging of collapsing buildings and the crackling of the raging inferno. The dying moaned; women and children wept hysterically, calling for help.”
Despite the scale of destruction, the Nazi invaders failed to break the resistance of the defenders of Stalingrad. The heroic defence of the city lasted for several months and went down in history as a symbol of the courage and unbending will of Soviet soldiers. The Battle of Stalingrad ended in February 1943 with the rout of the Wehrmacht’s elite forces and marked a turning point in the history of the Great Patriotic War.
#Victory79 #WeRemember
The invaders dropped thousands of tonnes of various air bombs, including incendiary bombs containing phosphorous. The resulting carpet bombing devastated over half of the city’s housing, as well as a sports centre, the city library, several hospitals and educational institutions.
✍️ Excerpt from the memoirs of Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrey Yeryomenko: “During the bombing, pillars of fire and smoke soared upwards in different places without interruption. Immense columns of flame rose to the skies near oil depots. Streams of burning oil and gasoline rushed into the Volga River. <...> The screech of bombs flying from above mixed with the roar of explosions, the grinding and clanging of collapsing buildings and the crackling of the raging inferno. The dying moaned; women and children wept hysterically, calling for help.”
Despite the scale of destruction, the Nazi invaders failed to break the resistance of the defenders of Stalingrad. The heroic defence of the city lasted for several months and went down in history as a symbol of the courage and unbending will of Soviet soldiers. The Battle of Stalingrad ended in February 1943 with the rout of the Wehrmacht’s elite forces and marked a turning point in the history of the Great Patriotic War.
#Victory79 #WeRemember
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After the defeat of German forces in the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, Hitler definitively lost the strategic initiative and the Nazis began a rapid retreat to the West. The German command was expecting to stop advance of the Red Army and retain the most important economic areas east of the Dnieper.
⚔️ The battle lasted for four months and included two stages: in August-September, 1943, the Soviet forces reached the Dnieper; in September-December, 1943, the Red Army crossed the river and took control of the entire Dnieper area.
The Dnieper was a powerful natural obstacle that proved extremely hard to negotiate. As a morale booster, the Supreme High Command issued a directive promising that commanders and soldiers who were among the first to cross the river would be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The first Soviet units crossed the Dnieper in boats and rafts in September. They had to do it in the harshest conditions — water temperature was only 5⁰C, with the enemy firing from the right bank. Despite this Soviet assault groups went into the water, attacked Wehrmacht positions and created landing sites for the main forces.
During the Battle of the Dnieper the Red Army inflicted a heavy defeat on the main forces of Army Group "South" and part of the forces of Army Group "Centre" of the enemy, liberated more than 38 thousand settlements, including 160 cities.
The battle resulted in the liberation of Donbass, Left-Bank Ukraine and the capital of Soviet Ukraine, Kiev, from the Nazi invaders. The Red Army's victory in the Battle of the Dnieper thwarted Wehrmacht's plans to stabilise the front along the river, created conditions for an offensive in Belarus, and the liberation of Right-Bank Ukraine and the Crimea.
🕯 During the 778 days of the Nazi occupation of Kiev, many thousands of local residents and Soviet POWs were killed, and dozens of thousands of Jews were executed in the Baby Yar ravine. The Germans and their henchmen, the Ukrainian nationalists, sent over 100,000 Kiev residents to Germany for hard labour.
#Victory79
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🗓 79 years ago, on September 2, 1945, the Instrument of Surrender of militarist Japan was signed, bringing #WWII to the end.
❗️After the defeat of Germany in Europe, the last stronghold of the "Axis" powers remained in the Asia-Pacific region. The Korean Peninsula, Indochina, Indonesia, Malay Peninsula, part of China, Burma and the Philippines were under Japanese occupation.
In order to neutralize the Japanese threat in the Far East and to fulfill the agreements reached with the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition – the USA and UK – the Soviet Union launched an offensive against militarist Japan. On August 9, the Manchurian strategic offensive operation of the Soviet forces commenced.
🌟 As a result of a rapid advancement and coordinated teamwork of the army, aviation and navy, Soviet forces defeated the Kwantung army. During the operation, the territories of China and North Korea were liberated from Japanese occupation. For only just 23 days of combat, the Red Army crushed the Japanese militaristic machine and eliminated the foothold of the enemy's military and economic base in Asia.
📑 The official ceremony of signing the Instrument of Surrender of Japan took place on September 2, 1945, on board the USS "Missouri" in Tokyo Bay. According to this document, "the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, all Japanese armed forces, and all armed forces under Japanese control, regardless of where they are" was declared. On behalf of the Soviet Union, the Instrument was signed by Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko.
Japan fully accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of 1945. According to the Instrument, military actions on Japan's part ceased immediately, all Japanese and Japanese-controlled armed forces surrendered unconditionally.
🎖 The USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium issued an executive order "On Declaring September 3, 1945 the Day of Victory over Japan". Today the date September 3rd in our country is marked as the Day of Military Glory (Victory Day over militaristic Japan and the end of World War II).
#Victory79
❗️After the defeat of Germany in Europe, the last stronghold of the "Axis" powers remained in the Asia-Pacific region. The Korean Peninsula, Indochina, Indonesia, Malay Peninsula, part of China, Burma and the Philippines were under Japanese occupation.
In order to neutralize the Japanese threat in the Far East and to fulfill the agreements reached with the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition – the USA and UK – the Soviet Union launched an offensive against militarist Japan. On August 9, the Manchurian strategic offensive operation of the Soviet forces commenced.
📑 The official ceremony of signing the Instrument of Surrender of Japan took place on September 2, 1945, on board the USS "Missouri" in Tokyo Bay. According to this document, "the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, all Japanese armed forces, and all armed forces under Japanese control, regardless of where they are" was declared. On behalf of the Soviet Union, the Instrument was signed by Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko.
Japan fully accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of 1945. According to the Instrument, military actions on Japan's part ceased immediately, all Japanese and Japanese-controlled armed forces surrendered unconditionally.
#Victory79
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🗓 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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🗓 On September 19, 1943, one of the largest partisan operations of the Great Patriotic War to disrupt railway communications on Nazi-occupied territories, behind enemy lines, Operation "Concert", commenced. It became a continuation of the "Rail War", conducted in August-September 1943.
The partisans were tasked to destroy as many German trains and railway lines as possible to disrupt communications and hinder the delivery of munitions and provisions to the territories occupied by the Nazis.
The operation involved 193 partisan units in Belarus, the Baltics, Karelia, Crimea, Leningrad, Kalinin, Smolensk and Orel regions with the total number of 120,615 people.
In over six weeks, the partisans blew up approximately 150,000 rail lines, 100 railway bridges and about 100 enemy trains, hindering the delivery of Nazi reserves and allowing the Soviet aviation to attack railway junctions, where Nazis became easy targets, more effectively.
☝️ The operation resulted in the reduction of the throughput capacity of the rail lines the Nazis used by nearly 40%.
According to military experts, the partisans’ actions in the operations "Rail War" and "Concert" were more than 11 times more effective than all the raids of the Nazi aviation, which dropped more than 10,000 bombs on the railways in the Soviet rear during the same period.
🌟 Operation "Concert" greatly contributed to disrupting logistics and demoralising Nazi troops and to the preparation of the Red Army’s autumn offensive towards Smolensk and Gomel, as well as facilitated its advance towards the Dnieper and Desna rivers.
#Victory79
The partisans were tasked to destroy as many German trains and railway lines as possible to disrupt communications and hinder the delivery of munitions and provisions to the territories occupied by the Nazis.
The operation involved 193 partisan units in Belarus, the Baltics, Karelia, Crimea, Leningrad, Kalinin, Smolensk and Orel regions with the total number of 120,615 people.
In over six weeks, the partisans blew up approximately 150,000 rail lines, 100 railway bridges and about 100 enemy trains, hindering the delivery of Nazi reserves and allowing the Soviet aviation to attack railway junctions, where Nazis became easy targets, more effectively.
☝️ The operation resulted in the reduction of the throughput capacity of the rail lines the Nazis used by nearly 40%.
According to military experts, the partisans’ actions in the operations "Rail War" and "Concert" were more than 11 times more effective than all the raids of the Nazi aviation, which dropped more than 10,000 bombs on the railways in the Soviet rear during the same period.
#Victory79
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🗓 On November 6, 1943, during the Battle of the Dnieper, the Red Army liberated Kiev, the capital of the Soviet Ukraine, from Nazi occupation.
The Kiev offensive operation was a major milestone in liberation of the entire Soviet Motherland from the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. The expulsion of fascists, along with their Ukrainian collaborators and henchmen, from Kiev – and subsequently from the entire Right-Bank Ukraine – enabled the Red Army to seize back strategic initiative, ultimately clear the USSR's territory of German occupants and launch an offensive in 1944 to liberate Eastern Europe from Nazis.
⚔️ Early in the morning on November 1, 1943, the units of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Army General Nikolai Vatutin, launched an offensive on Kiev.
The Red Army faced a formidable Wehrmacht troops of up to 500,000 soldiers and officers, equipped with approximately 6,000 cannons and mortars, and over 500 tanks and aircraft.
In certain sectors of Nazi fortification line on the right bank of the Dnieper river – the so-called "Ostwall" – the enemy had installed deep defences ranging from 200 metres to 1.5 (!) kilometres in depth, exploiting captured local villages in rural areas as strongholds.
By November 4, Soviet forces advanced 2-6 kilometres to the north and northwest of Kiev. On November 5, heavy fighting for the city began. The battle continued until the following morning. The fascists, realising their defeat was inevitable, began withdrawing their rear and auxiliary forces westward.
By 4 am on November 6, Kiev was completely liberated by the Red Army.
❗️ Expelling the invaders, victorious Soviet forces entered Kiev left by Nazis almost entirely in ruins. Kreshchatik Street was devastated, even the Dormition Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra had not been spared by the enemy. During retreat, the Germans destroyed the Conservatory Hall, the building of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, schools, hospitals.
▪️During the dark times of the occupation, Nazi criminals and their Ukrainian nationalist collaborators carried out a policy of mass terror in Kiev. Before the Great Patriotic War, the city had approximately 900,000 citizens, but at the moment it was liberated, only 180,000 people survived in Kiev. Those who fell victim to the occupation were left beneath the city's ruins, in the mass graves of Babi Yar, where the fascists murdered over 120,000 individuals of various nationalities, primarily Jews, Poles, as well as Soviet POWs and concentration camp detainees.
The victory of the Red Army at the battle for Kiev marked the liberation of one of the largest political, economic, scientific, and cultural centres of the USSR. Hitler's forces suffered yet another major defeat on the Eastern Front, finally and irrevocably losing the strategic initiative.
🎆 In honour of the victory, a salute of 24 volleys from 324 guns was fired in Moscow.
🎖65 units of the Red Army, for their distinguished war merits, were awarded the honourable “Kievsky” title. Almost 17,500 soldiers and officers of the 1st Ukrainian Front received orders and medals.
On May 8, 1965, Kiev received the highest honour in the USSR – the title of Hero City – in recognition of the mass courage and heroism showed by its people in defence of Motherland during the Great Patriotic War.
#Victory79
The Kiev offensive operation was a major milestone in liberation of the entire Soviet Motherland from the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. The expulsion of fascists, along with their Ukrainian collaborators and henchmen, from Kiev – and subsequently from the entire Right-Bank Ukraine – enabled the Red Army to seize back strategic initiative, ultimately clear the USSR's territory of German occupants and launch an offensive in 1944 to liberate Eastern Europe from Nazis.
⚔️ Early in the morning on November 1, 1943, the units of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Army General Nikolai Vatutin, launched an offensive on Kiev.
The Red Army faced a formidable Wehrmacht troops of up to 500,000 soldiers and officers, equipped with approximately 6,000 cannons and mortars, and over 500 tanks and aircraft.
In certain sectors of Nazi fortification line on the right bank of the Dnieper river – the so-called "Ostwall" – the enemy had installed deep defences ranging from 200 metres to 1.5 (!) kilometres in depth, exploiting captured local villages in rural areas as strongholds.
By November 4, Soviet forces advanced 2-6 kilometres to the north and northwest of Kiev. On November 5, heavy fighting for the city began. The battle continued until the following morning. The fascists, realising their defeat was inevitable, began withdrawing their rear and auxiliary forces westward.
By 4 am on November 6, Kiev was completely liberated by the Red Army.
❗️ Expelling the invaders, victorious Soviet forces entered Kiev left by Nazis almost entirely in ruins. Kreshchatik Street was devastated, even the Dormition Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra had not been spared by the enemy. During retreat, the Germans destroyed the Conservatory Hall, the building of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, schools, hospitals.
▪️During the dark times of the occupation, Nazi criminals and their Ukrainian nationalist collaborators carried out a policy of mass terror in Kiev. Before the Great Patriotic War, the city had approximately 900,000 citizens, but at the moment it was liberated, only 180,000 people survived in Kiev. Those who fell victim to the occupation were left beneath the city's ruins, in the mass graves of Babi Yar, where the fascists murdered over 120,000 individuals of various nationalities, primarily Jews, Poles, as well as Soviet POWs and concentration camp detainees.
The victory of the Red Army at the battle for Kiev marked the liberation of one of the largest political, economic, scientific, and cultural centres of the USSR. Hitler's forces suffered yet another major defeat on the Eastern Front, finally and irrevocably losing the strategic initiative.
🎆 In honour of the victory, a salute of 24 volleys from 324 guns was fired in Moscow.
🎖65 units of the Red Army, for their distinguished war merits, were awarded the honourable “Kievsky” title. Almost 17,500 soldiers and officers of the 1st Ukrainian Front received orders and medals.
On May 8, 1965, Kiev received the highest honour in the USSR – the title of Hero City – in recognition of the mass courage and heroism showed by its people in defence of Motherland during the Great Patriotic War.
#Victory79
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🗓 On November 7, 1941, the historic military parade took place on the Red Square in Moscow marking the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.
The parade was organised and held, when the Nazi forces were already approaching the Soviet capital — at the time an unthinkable endeavour.
Not only was it a defiance of Hitler's war machine and inhumane regime, but a testament to the unbending will of the Soviet people, the parade showed the Red Army soldiers and officers’ resilience and determination.
The march involved some 28'500 servicemen, as well as 140 artillery pieces, 160 tanks, and 232 vehicles. From the Red Square, Soviet soldiers and officers headed directly to the front, ready to defend their Motherland from the Nazis no matter the hardships and seemingly improbable odds.
The military parade became a symbol of the Soviet people’s fortitude and courage, inspired them in their fight against German aggression. It bolstered the USSR’s international prestige and strengthened the Allied coalition.
⚔️ A month later, the “invincible” Wehrmacht suffered its first major defeat, and Hitler’s ambitious blitzkrieg plan against the Soviet Union was thwarted.
In 2004, a federal law was passed designating November 7 as a Day of Military Glory in Russia in honour of the Red Square military parade. Ever since, festive concerts and exhibitions commemorating this event have been held annually across the country.
#Victory79
The parade was organised and held, when the Nazi forces were already approaching the Soviet capital — at the time an unthinkable endeavour.
Not only was it a defiance of Hitler's war machine and inhumane regime, but a testament to the unbending will of the Soviet people, the parade showed the Red Army soldiers and officers’ resilience and determination.
The march involved some 28'500 servicemen, as well as 140 artillery pieces, 160 tanks, and 232 vehicles. From the Red Square, Soviet soldiers and officers headed directly to the front, ready to defend their Motherland from the Nazis no matter the hardships and seemingly improbable odds.
The military parade became a symbol of the Soviet people’s fortitude and courage, inspired them in their fight against German aggression. It bolstered the USSR’s international prestige and strengthened the Allied coalition.
⚔️ A month later, the “invincible” Wehrmacht suffered its first major defeat, and Hitler’s ambitious blitzkrieg plan against the Soviet Union was thwarted.
In 2004, a federal law was passed designating November 7 as a Day of Military Glory in Russia in honour of the Red Square military parade. Ever since, festive concerts and exhibitions commemorating this event have been held annually across the country.
#Victory79
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