🌟 On January 17, 1945, the Red Army liberated Warsaw from Nazi occupation during the Vistula–Oder Strategic offensive.
Starting from 1940, there was the resistance movement operating in Poland against the Nazis — 'Armia Krajowa' (included the supporters of Jozef Pilsudski, whose tactics eventually resulted in Poland's losing its sovereignty), and 'Armia Ludowa', which later together with the 1st Polish Army formed 'Wojsko Polskie' — the Polish Army. It represented broader working class people in Poland as a whole, in contrast to 'Armia Krajowa' militants and bandits, who were subordinate to the so-called 'Polish Government in Exile' in London and were responsible for numerous barbaric crimes against civilians.
On August 1, 1944, 'Armia Krajowa' (AK) initiated an uprising in Warsaw as part of the so-called 'Operation Storm' or 'Burza' against the Nazi occupants. The AK's principal aim was to liberate Poland and, most importantly, independently of the advancing Soviet forces. The uprising was poorly prepared and ultimately was doomed to defeat.
At the very moment the order to start the uprising was issued, the Nazi troops launched a counter-offensive against the Red Army. As a result, the Red Army’s attempts to immediately cross the Vistula River were unsuccessful.
***
The launch of the Soviet offensive in the Vistula–Oder direction was initially scheduled for January 20, 1945. However, on January 6, after the Allies suffered a major losses in the Ardennes and had to ask Moscow for help, Winston Churchill appealed to Joseph Stalin for assistance and requested the Soviet leadership to launch the offensive toward the Vistula river as soon as possible. The Soviet leadership responded to the Allies' request and commanded the start of the operation on January 12.
Poland was regarded by Hitler’s command, not without reason, as the Reich’s principal external defensive line. The Nazi leaders understood that any Wehrmacht's retreat westwards would open a direct path for the Red Army to Berlin. Thus, the Germans were determined to hold their positions at any costs and prepared to mount the fiercest resistance.
The enemy had concentrated in Poland formidable forces — around 30 divisions of 560'000 soldiers and officers, supported by 5'000 artillery weapons, 1'220 tanks and other armoured vehicles. Between the Vistula and the Oder, the Nazis constructed seven defensive lines, arranged in depth over a span of 300 to 500 kilometres.
Warsaw became the primary objective of the Red Army' offensive. By January 14, the Soviet forces had already approached the Polish capital. According to the Soviet military command directives, that were the units of the Polish Army that were suggested to be the first to enter the city — Polish patriots, our comrades, and brothers-in-arms of Soviet soldiers who fought side-by-side with the Red Army to liberate their Homeland and later advanced on Berlin, forging our common Victory over Nazism together.
On January 16, Soviet units, advanced rapidly to Warsaw from the north, crossed the Vistula River and tied down the German garrison inside the city. The enemy was encircled from all directions: the 2nd Guards Tank Army pinned down the Nazis to the west, while units of the Polish Army severed lines of communication from the south. With all retreat routes cut off, the Germans, recognising the further resistance was hopeless and pointless, started surrendering en masse.
On January 17, the city was fully liberated.
The success of the Warsaw operation enabled the Red Army to substantially advance towards Berlin and to liberate a large part of Polish territory. Escaping, with the help of the Soviet soldiers-liberators, the Nazi enslavement, the Polish people regained their freedom.
🎖#WeRemember: Overall, more than 600'000 Red Army soldiers and officers perished fighting for the liberation of Polandfrom Nazi occupation.
By early February 1945, the 1st Belorussian Front had reached the Oder River. Preparations for the final battle of #WW2 were underway — the road to Berlin was open.
#Victory81
🏅15 Days Until the VictoryDay
On April 24, 1945, the Red Army launched the final assault on Berlin (Battle of Berlin).
Soviet forces encircled the Frankfurt–Guben enemy groups located in the southern part of the German capital and continued their offensive, liberating settlement after settlement.
By the end of the day 20 locations had been liberated and over 9,000 German soldiers were imprisoned.
#Victory80#WeRemember
🏅 On March 29, 1942, during the harshest period of the Siege of Leningrad, the first partisan convoy carrying food supplies reached the besieged city. Braving enemy lines, the partisans managed to break through the front and deliver 42 tonnes of life-saving provisions to those starving in Leningrad.
The blockade had been sealed in September 1941, trapping more than 2.5 million people inside the city, including 400'000 children inside. They endured horrific hunger, relentless bombings took a heavy toll, and the harsh winter added to their suffering. The Road of Life had yet to be established.
The situation was also dire in the occupied Pskov and Novgorod regions, where Nazi forces carried out mass executions and deportations to labour camps. Yet, resistance never ceased. Deep behind enemy lines, the Soviet people formed the first partisan stronghold of the Great Patriotic War — the Partisan Land.
Upon learning of the desperate conditions in Leningrad, the partisans resolved to help the starving and freezing residents of the city. In early March, they assembled a supply convoy carrying 28 tonnes of flour and over 14 tonnes of other essential provisions.
To reach the city, the partisans had to break through two heavily fortified German defensive lines: first, the encirclement around the Partisan Land, and then the main frontline. The convoy travelled only at night, hiding their sleds and horses in the forests during the day to avoid detection.
After covering over 100 kilometres behind enemy lines, the convoy successfully delivered vital food supplies to Leningrad. These 42 tonnes of supplies saved countless lives at a time when thousands of people were dying each day.
✉️ Along with the provisions, a letter to the city’s residents was included: “We stand with you, dear friends, comrades in arms... Greetings to you, our hero-city, our mighty Leningrad!”
🕯 The Partisan Land ceased to exist in September 1942. The Nazis burned villages to the ground and massacred the civilians who had lived there. Nearly all the heroes who had risked their lives to bring food to Leningrad perished.
To honour their sacrifice, March 29 is commemorated in the Leningrad region as Partisan Glory Day.
#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
🗓 On December 1, 1896, legendary Soviet commander, four-time Hero of the Soviet Union, also known as the Marshal of Victory, Georgy Zhukov, was born. He made an invaluable contribution to preventing the Japanese aggression and enabling the Soviet Union to defeat Nazi Germany and achieve the Great Victory.
Georgy Zhukov joined the Red Army in the autumn of 1918, and went on to command a platoon and then a squadron during the Civil War. Having completed an advanced course in cavalry command, he later graduated from a course for high-ranking military commanders. With these degrees up his sleeve, Zhukov started his rapid ascent within the military, and in every position, he was a smart manager capable of effectively training the troops he had under his command and preparing them for combat action.
⚔️ The first major victory for this famed commander came in 1939. It was during the Battles of Khalkhin Gol that Georgy Zhukov’s resolved actions helped encircle and destroy the Japanese army. In fact, this battle was one of the main reasons which compelled the Japanese leaders to forgo their plans of staging a large-scale invasion of the USSR. Zhukov’s victory in the Mongolian steppe earned him his first Hero of the Soviet Union title. He was also awarded the rank of Army General.
But it was during the Great Patriotic War that Zhukov shone as a military commander. As Deputy Commander-in-Chief, he commanded the troops in cold blood. Coupled with the heroism of the Soviet fighters, this helped the Red Army hold its ground despite all the hardships it faced in the first months of the war. Zhukov headed the front at a critical juncture when there were hardly any troops left between the Nazi troops and Moscow. The Red Army urgently needed reserves and new units. It is under Zhukov’s command that Yelnya was liberated in August 1941, giving the USSR its first triumph in the war against Nazism.
☝️ A strategic thinker, Zhukov was able to improve the Soviet positions even in the most challenging sections along the frontline with Germany. It was he who prevented Nazis from taking over Leningrad. Zhukov also made a decisive contribution to defending Moscow, and coordinated four fronts during the Battle of Kursk, while also taking part in the battle for the Dnieper, the Battle of Korsun–Cherkassy Operation, as well as Operation Bagration and the Vistula–Oder offensive. It is quite symbolic that Zhukov commanded the 1st Belarusian Front during the Berlin offensive, received Germany’s capitulation and the first Victory Parade.
🎖 In early 1943, Georgy Zhukov became Marshal of the Soviet Union, shortly after playing a pivotal role in coordinating efforts to breach the siege of Leningrad. The second and the third titles of Hero of the Soviet Union came in 1944 and 1945. He also received two Pobeda – Victory – orders during the war, the highest distinction for military commanders.
After the war, Zhukov served as First Deputy Minister and later Minister of Defence and carried out a major reform within the Soviet Army.
✍️ In his memoires, Georgy Zhukov wrote: “Serving Motherland and my people was something that mattered the most for me. And I can say with a clear conscience that I did everything to fulfil my duty… I have lived my life knowing that I am serving the people – there can be nothing more important than that for anyone.”
#Victory80#WeRemember
#Victory80
🌟 On April 10, 1944, the Red Army liberated the city of Odessa from the Nazi German and Romanian invaders as a result of a decisive offensive under the command of Army General Rodion Malinovsky.
The operation began on the night of March 26, 1944, when the 3rd Ukrainian Front formations began to force the Southern Bug River in order to break through the German defences, and lasted until April 14, 1944.
By 10 am on April 10, as a result of fierce fighting, Odessawasliberated. The Red Army units were strongly supported by partisans and underground fighters, who cleared the city of the enemy and prevented the blowup of the Odessa port, piers, buildings, and warehouses as planned by the Germans.
🕯 The Nazi occupation of the city lasted 907 days. During this time, about 200,000 people perished in Odessa and the surrounding region. Many of them became victims of mass-scale massacres and cruel executions; 78,000 people were shipped for forced labour in Germany, plants and factories were destroyed, and more than 2,000 buildings, including hospitals and schools, were blown up and burned down.
Retreating, German and Romanian soldiers shot old people, women and children in the streets in cold blood , mined the most important buildings, factories, the power plant, and the seaport.
⚔️ The Soviet forces inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy, killing more than 27,000 enemies and taking over 11,000 prisoners; 952 artillery guns, 443 tanks and assault guns, and 95 warehouses with ammunition and food were destroyed.
Thanks to the liberation of Odessa, the Red Army managed to interrupt the supply of the Crimean group of German troops and to open the way for further advance towards the Balkans.
During the whole time of occupation, local residents, many of whom after the capture of the city went hiding in the catacombs underneath the urban landscape, put fierce resistance to the Nazis. During the war, Odessa underground fighters and partisans destroyed more than 5,000 enemy soldiers and officers, 248 automobiles, and saved about 20,000 Soviet citizens from being taken to Germany.
The liberation of Odessa was marked in Moscow with fireworks of the highest category with 24 salvos from 324 artillery guns. The entire Soviet nation was united in a jubilation.
🎖 Twenty-seven formations and units with the most distinguished track record during the operation were awarded the honorary name of Odessa units and formations. For heroism and bravery in the battles for the city, 14 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and more than 2,000 people were awarded Soviet orders and medals.
On May 1, 1945, Odessa was declared a Hero City, and on May 8, 1965 it was awarded this title officially.
Some may have chosen to forget, but #WeRemember.
#HistoryOfDiplomacy
🗓 On February 4, 1945, the Yalta Conference of the Leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition — Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt — officially commenced.
The #YaltaConference stands as one of the most significant summits of the 'Big Three' Leaders during #WW2. The landmark talks in Yalta came to symbolise the successful cooperation of Moscow, Washington, and London in their common fightagainst the terrible evil the mankind had ever faced —the Nazi ideology.
The historic agreements reached at the Forum defined the foundations of the post-war Yalta-Potsdam system of international relations, whose legal basis would be the #UNCharter.
💬 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
The participants in the Yalta Conference managed to overcome their differences, and, acting in the spirit of true solidarity, mutual respect and trust, abandoned their fleeting interests for the sake of defeating the common enemy and achieving a common victory, peace and freedom for all countries and peoples.
***
🌟 By early 1945, the Red Army had fully liberated the Soviet Union from the Nazi invaders and was mounting a decisive offensive: by January, the Nazi troops had been expelled from Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, and most of Poland. The Soviet forces had secured strategically important bridgehead on the western bank of the Oder river and were preparing for the final battle of #WWII — the fight for the Reich’s capital — Berlin.
As the Red Army advanced rapidly from the Vistula-Oder direction, UK-American units were pushing towards the Rhine river. Despite fierce resistance from elite units of the Nazi war machine, Germany’s defeat was inevitable.
With the common Victory approaching, the discussing issues the post-war world order became a top priority for the Allied Powers. Thus, it was decided to convene a major conference, with the Soviet city of Yalta chosen as the venue (February 4-11, 1945).
A central focus of the #CrimeanConference was the post-war future of the defeated Germany. The Allies reaffirmed their commitment to the eradication of German militarism and Nazism and to ensuring that “Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world.” It was also agreed that Germany would be obliged to pay reparations for the damage inflicted by its aggression.
During the Yalta negotiations, the 'Big Three' Leaders reached a compromise on the issue ofPoland’s borders.The Soviet delegation firmly advocated for Poland’s fundamental interests, upholding its right to independence and sovereignty.
Churchill later described the Soviet Union’s historic role in liberating Poland from Nazism in his memoirs:
But for the prodigious exertions and sacrifices of Russia, Poland was doomed to utter destruction at the hands of the Germans.
Not only Poland as a State and as a nation, but the Poles as a race were doomed by Hitler to be destroyed or reduced to a servile station
The considerable growth in the USSR’s international prestige significantly influenced the course and outcomes of the Yalta negotiations. This was due, in large part, to the Red Army’s remarkable successes on the battlefield.
The image of the Soviet soldier as a Liberator was cemented, and the world recognised Soviet people's immense Sacrifice and Achievement in WWII
The Conference produced several crucial documents, including the Declaration on Liberated Europe, which helped shape the international system for decades. The framework for the future #UnitedNations also took clearer form. Following Yalta, the Soviet Union secured agreement on the “principle of unanimity” among the five permanent UN Security Council members, embodied in the right of veto — #UNCharterIsOurRules.
The Yalta agreements strengthened the unity of the anti-Hitler coalition in the final stages of World War II and contributed to the ultimate common victory over Germany. In the post-war years, ensuring the implementation of the Yalta decisions became a key objective of Soviet diplomacy.
#Victory81#WeWereAllies
🎖다가오는 승전 80주년을 맞아 승리의 영웅들에 관한 주간 연재를 시작합니다. 우리가 소개할 많은 영웅들은 파시스트 침략자들로부터 나라를 지켰을 뿐만 아니라 조국의 동쪽 국경에서 일본군과도 싸웠습니다.
첫 번째 사진은 세이신 전투에 참가한 이들입니다. (세이신은 당시에 사용되던 일본식 명칭으로, 지금은 청진이라고 불리는 도시입니다.) 사진 속에는 소련의 영웅인 미하일 페트로비치 바라볼코와 미하일 이바노비치 코체트코가 있습니다. 오늘은 가운데 해군 군복을 입고 있는 사람, 안드레이 스테파노비치 루벤코의 활약에 대해 이야기해보려고 합니다.
안드레이 루벤코는 해군 보병 지원을 위해 8월 14일 상륙한 3급 대위 G.V.테르노프스키 부대 소속으로 세이신 상륙작전에 참가했습니다 (1945년 8월 13~16일).
8월 14일 저녁 테르노프스키는 심각한 부상을 당했고, 루벤코가 부대의 지휘를 맡게 되었습니다. 목격자들에 따르면, 그는 해군과 보병들로 구성된 통합 부대의 임무 수행을 훌륭히 지휘하여 적의 수적 우세 속에서도 어려운 밤을 버티고, 15일에 주력 부대가 도착할 때까지 182.9 고지를 지킬 수 있었습니다.
이 이야기를 특별하게 만드는 한 가지 사실은 루벤코가 이 부대의 일원으로 해군 신문 ‘보에바야 바흐타’의 사진 기자로서 활동했다는 사실입니다. 그 당시의 작전을 기록하며 오늘날까지 전해지는 많은 사진들이 그의 손에서 탄생했습니다.
루벤코의 회고록 중:
“8월 14일에서 15일로 넘어가는 밤은 끊임없는 전투 속에 지나갔다. 8시 10분 일본군은 50미터까지 접근했다. 총 12차례의 공격이 있었고, 그 중 3차례는 육박전으로 이어졌다. 일본군은 칼, 단검, 검을 들고 싸웠다. <…> 또 한 차례의 공격을 막아냈다. '우리…! 우리 군함이다!' 가슴 깊은 곳에서 터져 나온 이 외침은 용감한 전사들에게 주어진 최고의 포상처럼 울려 퍼졌다. 우리의 머리 위로, 우리의 군함 위로 빛나는 태양, 승리의 태양이 떠올랐다. <…> 8월 15일 정오, 일본군의 포위망은 무너졌다. 그들은 후퇴하기 시작했다.”
📸사진을 제공해주신 태평양함대 역사박물관과 ‘보에바야 바흐타’에게 감사드립니다.
#Victory80#WeRemember
December 1942 Soviet troops are preparing to close the "Ring"
🚩On 11.12.1942, near Stalingrad, Soviet troops are preparing to close, and the fascists are preparing to open the "Ring". The plan to destroy the encircled German fascist group was to strike from west to east to dismember the encircled group and eliminate it piecemeal.
🚩However, on 11.12.1942, Field Marshal General Manstein decided to launch Operation Winter Storm. Its goal is to use large forces of motorized infantry and tanks to unblock the encircled Paulus group. The beginning of the Nazis' actions is scheduled for 12.12 Manstein had great advantages in the sector of the front where his strike was planned.
🚩If the Wehrmacht had succeeded in fulfilling its plans to link up with Paulus' 6th Army, it would inevitably have complicated the situation for the Soviet troops and would have required additional sacrifices to defeat the enemy in the south of the country.
Video: Ri00
Song
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A Soviet soldier, having survived a burned-out tank. The face of a man who rescued not only his homeland, but this entire world from the brown plague!
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🗓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