This year on May 9 millions of people in the countries of former Soviet Union commemorate the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic war (1941-1945).
The Great Patriotic war started on June 22, 1941 with Nazi Germany sudden undeclared attack on the Soviet Union. This war is an integral part of the World War II and to this day remains one the most violent and sanguinary conflicts in the history of mankind. Yet, as time goes by fewer participants and survivors of the war remain alive, and thus the recollections of the world’s darkest hours inevitably fade away. Collective memory of and mutual understanding among people across different nations, once unanimously reinforced by shared hardships of the war, gradually wanes.
In recent years due to plain ignorance, or rather politically driven misinterpretation and distortion of facts, the once common comprehension of the origin, outcome and legacy of the war shifts therewith. Outrageous removal of war monuments, statues and memorials in some East European countries illustrates the trend of utter cynicism and revisionism, a path so frequently, yet so mistakenly taken in the past. For such regrettable actions are nothing short of betrayal of memory, glorious deeds and virtues of preceding generations. Instead of recognizing the monuments to the fighters against Nazism as shared legacy and global heritage, certain politicians in some countries start waging war against fallen heroes, who of course, cannot defend themselves. These destructive actions, along with ideological grounds they are based on undermine some of the very core European values and principles, like tolerance and pursuit of the truth.
In these strange times, when doubt blurs the boundaries between verity and falsehood it is worth rediscovering some key facts about the victory in the Great Patriotic war and World War II in general, and ruminate on its meaning today.
The fascist coalition in Europe was defeated by joint efforts of the allied military including that of the Soviet Union, the United States, the UK, patriotic forces in France and other countries. However, the contribution of each of these countries to achieving the victory was by no means even. With the USSR unwillingly entering the conflict a radical shift in the entire military and political landscape of the war emerged. During the intense battles at the outskirts of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, and other Soviet cities German army and its collaborators suffered major defeats. Gradually, and not without severe casualties, the accomplishments of the Soviet Red army dispelled the invincibility myth of the Hitler forces, broke their morale and laid the foundation for a complete turnaround in the war. Nearly 70% of Nazi losses throughout the entire course of the World War II occurred in fierce battles with the Soviet soldiers. Overall, the German death toll on the Soviet front alone was four to six times greater than that of the West European and Mediterranean fronts combined. As a result, despite initial success Nazi troops failed to achieve their goals.
Amid 62 nations that participated in the World War II the USSR took the heaviest blow and lost more than 26 million human lives. Hundreds of cities, towns, villages, factories, mines, countless kilometers of railways and overall national wealth of inestimable value were lost in warfare. The astounding figures remind us all of the hefty price everyone had to pay for the sake of victory and lasting peace.
There is no family in today’s Russia and other countries of the former USSR that is unaffected by the events of the war. Many had at least one grandfather that engaged the enemy in the trenches on the battlefield. Even more had family members that served on the “home front” – working long hours at the armories to secure uninterrupted flow of ammunition and supplies for the army. Moreover, some had a relative that had to endure all the pain and suffering associated with a concentration or labor camp. Therefore, 75 years since the end of the Great Patriotic war, its echo unites people across nations and haunts many descendants of the victorious generation.
For people of former Soviet countries including diplomats and their families that work here in Bangkok 9 May is a sacred day to recall historic and heroic events of the past, to visit victory monuments and cemeteries and to lay flowers and wreaths. In recent years on this day millions of people congregate in downtowns of their respective cities holding portraits of their grandparents, parents and other relatives to march in a worldwide campaign known as the “Immortal Regiment”. I vividly remember this event organized by our compatriots last year in Pattaya, Phuket and Samui. This year due to the spread of Covid-19 the campaign will be held online so that numerous descendants of war participants can still pay respect and tribute to their heroic ancestors.
On this day national TV channels usually broadcast popular movies about the war as well as concerts and musical shows featuring war songs performed by singers of different age and genre including today’s youthful bands and pop-stars. The experience of war, its role in the history of the world and life-changing impact on an ordinary person are reflected in countless books, paintings, plays and many other forms of cultural expression. Many of such works gained international recognition like movie “The Cranes are flying”, which won prestigious Grand Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, or books by Nobel Prize winner (1965) Mikhail Sholokhov, who had served as military correspondent during the war. It is important that the war-related themes are popular among all generations and unite our peoples.
The hard-won victory in the Great Patriotic war serves as a reminder to extol virtues of all peoples of the former Soviet Union that gave everything they could: labor, blood, courage, perseverance, strength, and often their own life for the sake of peace. The anniversary of victory is also a very sorrowful occasion to recall all the sacrifices every family had to make, all the lost lives on the battlefields, in concentration camps and occupied territories. It is a harsh lesson and a stern warning for anyone tempted to take lasting peace for granted and interested in reinvigorating the dangerous ideas that once led to the darkest chapters of human history. Finally, it betokens the triumph of reason over madness and a hope that the world would remain prudent not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Ambassador of the Russian Federation
in the Kingdom of Thailand H.E. Mr. Evgeny Tomikhin
