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🗓 86 years ago — on August 23, 1939 — the Soviet Union and Germany signed the Non-Aggression Treaty in Moscow. This document was an important achievement of the Soviet diplomacy ahead of #WWII: the USSR was able to buy time to better prepare to repel Hitler’s impending attack, which had been seen as inevitable due to the failed policy of “appeasement” by Western European states and their refusal to forge a collective security agreement with our nation against Nazism. Signing the non-aggression treaty with Germany was a difficult but necessary decision by the Soviet leadership, driven by national security considerations and the urgent need to deter Nazi aggression in the east. *** In the 1930s, twenty years after the end of World War I, the threat of a new large-scale armed conflict in Europe began to grow. A key factor for this was the crisis of the Versailles system of international relations, designed by Britain and France, which paved the way for rising revanchist sentiments in the states it had humiliated — Germany and Italy. With the Nazis’ rise to power in Germany, the threat of a new war in Europe became real. Hitler’s misanthropic ideology was rooted in the notorious doctrine of “racial superiority.” The Nazis used this doctrine to justify Germany’s pursuit of world domination. In this way, an absolute evil emerged at the heart of Europe, endangering the peace and freedom of entire nations. By the mid-1930s, it became evident that another German aggression in Europe was inevitable — it was merely a matter of time. In an effort to counter the rising threat of German revanchism, the Soviet Union suggested the creation of a collective security system in Europe, founded on anti-fascist principles, to unite efforts and deliver a joint response to the common threat. Yet in Paris and London, where anti-Soviet sentiments ran deep, the idea of cooperation with Moscow was rejected as such. Instead, Western powers sought to strike a deal with Germany, aiming to pacify the Germans through unilateral concessions. The political establishments of the West failed to grasp the existential threat posed by Nazi ideology, cynically believing that Hitler’s aggression could be redirected eastward. The “appeasement” tactics whetted the aggressor’s appetite. In March 1938, with the connivance of Paris and London, Hitler carried out the Anschluss of Austria. In September, following the criminal “Munich conspiracy” and with the approval of the UK and France, he cynically dismembered the sovereign state of Czechoslovakia. Warsaw, which was interested in getting part of Czechoslovakia’s territory for itself, prohibited flights of Soviet aircraft to render aid to Czechoslovak army. Already a de facto accomplice of Hitler, Poland had supported every single foreign policy move of the Reich. ❗️A new war in Europe became inevitable. Thus, “appeasement” policy ended in total failure. Attempting to sate the Nazis’ insatiable ambitions, the Western powers failed to restrain the aggressor or thwart its criminal plans. The Soviet Union remained the only European power still striving to organise collective resistance against Nazi Germany. In the spring and summer of 1939, the USSR initiated consultations with France and Britain in Moscow. However, the negotiation process failed to yield practical results — the Western powers that until the last moment hoped for a compromise with Hitler, engaged in secret talks with Germany behind the Soviet Union’s back. 👉The Soviet diplomacy ran out of chances to build a collective security system in Europe. Moscow also had to take into account the Japanese factor — the hostilities on the Khalkhin-Gol that began in May 1939. The Soviet leadership could not afford a war on two fronts. By August 1939, several European nations had concluded non-aggression pacts with Hitler. The Soviet Union was the last major power to follow the suit. As a result, our country gained valuable time to prepare for a clash with the world’s most powerful army at that time. 📖Learn more in our in-depthhistorical feature.

🎙Address by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to participants in the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues(May 28, 2025) 💬 Vladimir Putin: I am pleased to welcome you to Moscow for the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues. Over the past nearly fifteen years, your Forum has convincingly affirmed its significant status and authority. I know that in these days, participants of the Meeting — representatives of delegations from many states — can expect a substantial programme, with the main discussion dedicated to the prospects of establishing a new global security architecture. ☝️ As for Russia, our approaches remain principled and unchanged. I have said it before and will reiterate: we are convinced that the new security architecture must be equal and indivisible — that is, all states must receive firm guarantees of their own security, but not at the expense of the security and interests of other countries. It is vital to make our continent a space of peace and stability, an example of sustainable economic, social, and cultural development. We believe that the foundation for creating such a universal security system could be the existing and well-established multilateral cooperation formats, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and others. Your current meeting is widely attended by states of the Global South and East. It is they, in essence, who form the global majority, seek to influence regional and international processes more actively, and uphold the principle of sovereign equality and the right to their own development model. Undoubtedly, in building joint efforts, it is necessary to rely on positive historical experience, on the lessons of the past. This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the end of #WWII, which fundamentally influenced the development of the international community. The experience of uniting states in the fight against evil, against Nazism and militarism, the understanding of the colossal price humanity paid for peace and freedom, for the right of peoples to choose their own path of development, laid the foundations of the post-war world order and led to the creation of the UN — a universal, legitimate organisation based on the principles of international law, which has helped overcome many geopolitical challenges. Today, it is especially important to preserve the truth about the events of those years, to counter attempts to rewrite history, to cast doubt on the decisive contribution of the peoples of the Soviet Union to the Victory over Hitler’s Germany, and to glorify Nazi criminals and their accomplices. Just recently, on May 9, we solemnly marked the Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The celebrations in Moscow became yet another symbol of unity around the ideals of the Great Victory, demonstrating once again the commitment of our friends and partners to shaping a safer world, to constructive cooperation, and to jointly addressing global challenges. I am convinced that this latest meeting of high representatives overseeing security issues will contribute to the development of new important approaches to strengthening international peace and stability and will help advance dialogue for the benefit of all countries and peoples. I wish you success.

🗓 81 years ago, on 12 May 1944, the Crimean Strategic Offensive Operation ended, resulting in thecomplete liberation of the peninsula from the Nazi invaders. Crimea had been under the German occupation for 680 days. On its territory, the Nazis and their collaborators established concentration and filtration camps as well as numerous prisons. ☝ In response to the Nazi terror, a resistance movement emerged among the local population. Partisan detachments were formed. The legendary 250-day defense of Sevastopol and the immortal heroic act of the underground garrison in the Adzhimushkay quarries near Kerch stand as vivid examples of the courage and bravery of the defenders of the Motherland. During the large-scale offensive in the spring of 1944, the forces of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Separate Coastal Army, in coordination with the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Naval Flotilla, managed to completely clear the peninsula from the Nazi invaders. With the victory in the Battle for Crimea, the Soviet Union regained control over one of its most important regions and also reclaimed its main naval base, Sevastopol. ❗The enemy lost a vital strategic position on the Black Sea, significantly improving the conditions for the Red Army’s further advance. Praise to the soldiers who brought the long-awaited Victory closer! #Victory80

🗓 Exactly eighty years ago, on the night of 1 May 1945, a defining moment in the history of the Second World War took place: Soviet military intelligence personnel Alexei Berest, Mikhail Yegorov, and Meliton Kantaria raised the Victory Banner atop the Reichstag building. The idea to prepare red flags was proposed on 9 April 1945 at a meeting of heads of the political departments of all armies of the 1st Belorussian Front. As a result, nine red banners were sewn by hand, modelled on the national flag of the USSR. Fierce fighting raged across Berlin, with every building contested. The capture of the Reichstag — one of the Nazi Germany’s main symbols — held special significance. The building was heavily defended: all approaches were swept by fire from all types of weaponry. ⚡But the resistance was overcome, and at around 3 a.m. on 1 May, Red Army soldiers Mikhail Yegorov and Meliton Kantaria, under the command of Alexei Berest, hoisted the Victory Banner on the roof of the Reichstag. For this act of heroism, Yegorov and Kantaria were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 8 May 1946. It was the fourth banner, while the first three had been destroyed during the night by German long-range artillery fire targeting the Reichstag’s roof. Among the first to raise a banner were Red Army soldiers Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev and Grigory Bulatov. Bullet-ridden and blood-soaked, the Victory Banner became a sacred relic of our nation. ❗No one is forgotten. Nothing is forgotten. #Victory80

#Victory80 🌟 80 years ago, on May 9, 1945, at 0:43 am Moscow time, the Instrument of UnconditionalSurrender of the Nazi Germanywas signed. This historic document marked the Soviet Union’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War, brought an end to #WWII in Europe, signalled the final collapse of Nazism. *** Earlier, on May 2, 1945, following the fall of the Reichstag — the main Nazi stronghold — and the surrender of the Berlin garrison, the Red Army completed its successful operation to capture Berlin. The Soviet forces crushed Nazi resistance, taking full control of the Nazi government headquarters, including Hitler's Reichskanzlei (Reich Chancellery) and bunker. Germany’s final & unconditional surrender to the Allies was preceded by several local capitulations of the Nazi troops along various fronts. Moreover, in April 1945, certain Nazi military leaders, who were aware that the Third Reich’s collapse was imminent, fearing justice for their crimes, sought secret talks with Anglo-American forces, trying to divide the Allied anti-Hitler coalition. On April 29, just before the surrender of the Berlin garrison, the Nazi troops surrendered in Italy. Days later, on May 4, the Wehrmacht capitulated in the Netherlands, Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein, and Northwest Germany. On May 5, German troops also laid down their arms in Western Austria. 👉 Desperate to surrender to the British-American forces, on May 5, the Nazi delegation arrived in the French city of Reims, where the headquarters of the Allies' command was located. There, on May 7, the Act of Military Surrender was signed. Article 4 of the document did not rule out the signing of another, definitive act: “This act of military surrender… will be superseded by any general instrument of surrender… applicable to Germany and the German armed forces as a whole.” Due to that, the Soviet leadership deemed the Reims document only as a preliminary instrument, believing that the official surrender of the Nazis had to be ensured in Berlin, the city where the Nazi aggression originated from. At the Soviet government’s request, a second and final ceremony of surrender took place. ✍️ In the early hours of May 9, 1945, at 0:43 Moscow time (22:43 CET), the final and definitive Instrument of UnconditionalSurrender of the Nazi Germany was signedat the ceremony in #Karlshorst, Berlin. The surrender was accepted by Marshal Georgy Zhukov on behalf of the Soviet Union and Deputy Commander of the Allied forces Marshal Arthur Tedder on behalf of the Western Allies. From the German side, the Instrument was signed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Colonel General Hans-Jurgen Stumpff, & Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg. With the Instrument being signed, the Nazi government was officially dissolved, the defeated German military laid down arms. 🖋 From the memoirs by military correspondent Konstantin Simonov: 💬 “Zhukov stands up and says: “The German delegation may leave the hall.” The Germans stand up. Keitel… turns on his heel and leaves. And instantaneously, all tension in the room relaxes, and everybody exhales in unison. The act of surrender has been signed, and the war is over.” On May 9, 1945, at 2:10 am Moscow time, announcer Yury Levitan read out the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany & the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR declaring May 9 Victory Day. From that moment forward, the Soviet Union and later Russia, as well as the most former Soviet republics have celebrated Victory Day on May 9. 🎙 An excerpt from a briefing of Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, May 6, 2025: 💬 "The peoples of the Soviet Union not only defeated the Wehrmacht, but also brought life, liberation and salvation to the peoples of Eastern and Central Europe. The Red Army, the Soviet soldiers literally stopped the Nazi extermination machine in its tracks and put out the crematoria of the Holocaust. Those who deny this are clearly supporting the resurgence of Nazism and the rise of neo-Nazism". 📖Learn for more in our in-depth historical delve.

🏅 On May 9, 1945, at 12:43 am, the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany was signed, putting an end to the Great Patriotic War and #WWII in Europe. Following a successful assault on Berlin by the Red Army, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. The title of Reich President and command of the armed forces of the Third Reich passed to Admiral Karl Dönitz. Desperate to surrender to the British-American troops, on May 5, German delegation arrived in the French city of Reims, where the headquarters of the Western Allies command was located. In the Article 4 of the Reims Instrument of Surrender of Nazi Germany stated that this document did not rule out the signing of another, definitive act at the request of one of the coalition members. Thus, the document was recognised by the Soviet Union only as a preliminary instrument, and a new signing ceremony was proposed to be held in the capital of Nazi Germany, liberated by the Red Army - Berlin. 🌟 On may 9, at 12:43 am in district of Karlshorst the signing ceremony of the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany took place. On May 9, 1945, at 2:10 am Moscow time, announcer Yury Levitan read out the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany and the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR declaring May 9 Victory Day. From that moment on, the Soviet Union and later Russia, as well as the most former Soviet republics have celebrated Victory Day on May 9. 💬 Sergey Lavrov:This year’s Victory Day has a special significance because we are celebrating this great holiday in a situation where Nazism is rearing its head again. The descendants of Napoleon and Hitler have joined the Anglo-Saxons, again seeking to inflict a “strategic defeat” on our country, destroy it and subordinate it to their narrow selfish hegemonic interests. Just like our fathers and grandfathers volunteered to the front, today, once again, we see an extraordinary upsurge in society, as Russians are rallying to another sacred battle. 📖Read in full

#NEVERFORGET JEEVES

🗓Exactly 80 years ago, on 4 April 1945, the Red Army liberated Bratislava from the forces of the Nazi Germany. The goal of the Bratislava–Brno Offensive Operation (25 March – 5 May 1945), carried out by the troops led by Marshal Rodion Malinovsky, was to liberate Slovakia and to reach the outskirts of Prague. The Soviet cavalry attacks under the command of General Issa Pliev became a striking episode of the battles for Bratislava. The units of Cossacks crushed the enemy, not permitting the Nazis to regroup for defence. At the same time, ships of the Danube Flotilla landed a large assault force in the enemy’s rear, clearing the way towards Bratislava. Within just 24 hours of street battles, the capital of Slovakia was liberated from the fascists. The troops were commended for the successful fighting, while the military divisions and units that had performed best in the battles to recapture the city were named after the city of Bratislava. In Slovakia, there are about 160 burial sites of Soviet soldiers who perished during the liberation of the territory of the present Slovak Republic from fascism. More than 60,000 Soviet soldiers rest in military cemeteries, mass graves and individual tombs. In their honour, some 100 monuments, memorial plaques and other commemorative signs have been erected. ❗️We shall never forget the great heroic act of the Red Army! #Victory80#WeRemember

🗓 81 years ago, the events of critical importance for Europe took place. On 26 March 1944, as part of the Uman–Botoșani offensive, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front led by Marshal Ivan Konev reached the Prut River that constituted the state border between the USSR and Romania. The Allies of the Anti-Hitler Coalition persistently asked to advance further and not to stop fighting against Nazi Germany and its henchmen. In the night of March 27, the Red Army crossed the Soviet-Romanian border. Those developments effectively paved the way for the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe from the German invaders. More than one million Red Army soldiers gave their lives in the struggle to save the European nations enslaved by the Nazis. Regretfully, the memory of World War II on a regular basis falls under the manipulation of Western countries that seek to rewrite history to serve their geopolitical interests. Many European politicians shamelessly generate false facts and assessments that completely distort not only the role of the Soviet Union but also, more broadly, the causes and nature of World War II. ❗️It is our common duty to preserve historical truth and honour the memory of the heroes who sacrificed themselves for the sake of peace and freedom for all. #Victory80#WeRemember

🗓 Today is the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the defeat of the Nazi troops by the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad. On 2 February 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad one of the largest and fiercest battles in the world history that radically changed the course of the Great Patriotic War, was concluded. The Stalingrad Victory was the result of the unbending resilience, courage and self-sacrificing heroism of the Soviet troops. It was this battle that made a decisive contribution to reaching a major turning point in the Great Patriotic War. The Red Army seized the strategic initiative and retained it until the Victory Day. The defeat of the Nazi bloc in the battle of Stalingrad also helped to energize the Resistance Movement in the European countries. 🕯The memory of this great battle on the banks of the Volga River is carefully preserved in the Museum-Reserve “The Battle of Stalingrad” that includes the internationally renowned Memorial Complex on Mamayev Kurgan, the Panorama Museum “The Battle of Stalingrad”, as well as the Museum “Memory” located in the historical place where the Soviet troops captured the Headquarters of the 6th German Army headed by Feld Marshal Friedrich Paulus. ❗Russia honours the memory of its heroes and is proud of the heroic act of the Soviet citizens who gave their lives in order to liberate Europe from fascism. #Victory80#WeRemember