🌟 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
#Victory81
🌟 On April 13, 1945, the capital of Austria, Vienna, was liberated from the Nazi invaders by the Red Army during #WW2.
In the spring of 1945, Vienna served as strategically important defence point that the Germans sought to hold at any cost. The Nazis blocked streets and bridges across the Danube with barricades and mined debris, while concentrating hundreds of firing positions and resistance strongholds inside residential buildings along the outer defensive lines. The enemy stopped at nothing: the Germans used numerous sites of Vienna’s historic architecture and cultural landmarks as cover, effectively turning the ancient medieval city into a massive fortified strongpoint in order to delay the Soviet forces for as long as possible.
On the southeastern approaches to Vienna, the city was defended by the powerful Nazi Army Group “South,” with the strength amounting to nearly half a million well-trained Wehrmachtsoldiers and officers. More than 6'000 guns and mortars, as well as around 700 armored vehicles (tanks and self-propelled artillery), were deployed around the capital. The city was referred to by the Nazis as the “Alpine Fortress,” and the battle for it was to determine the further course of the entire war.
In March 1945, following a successful offensive in the Austrian direction, the Red Army broke through Nazi defenses between the Danube and Lake Balaton (Hungary). Advancing up to 80 kilometers toward Vienna, the Soviet forces then launched the operation to liberate the city.
On April 5, 1945, the Red Army launched the assault on Vienna. Fierce and brutal fighting unfolded on the city’s outskirts. The Red Army faced some of the enemy’s most well-trained units and formations, including SS tank divisions.
❗️The swift and selfless actions of the Soviet soldiers-liberators prevented the Nazi criminals from destroying one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Thanks to the Soviet command’s decision not to use heavy artillery or aerial bombing, Vienna preserved its historic appearance. At the cost of their lives, the Red Army soldiers and officers protected such landmarks as the Imperial Bridge, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna City Hall, and other masterpieces of medieval architecture that form today's Austrian rich historical heritage.
On April 13, the last pocket of fascists' resistance in the capital’s center was eliminated, and Vienna was completely cleared of the Nazis. The city came fully under the control of the Red Army. In the so-called “Vienna encirclement,” the Wehrmacht suffered devastating losses: Army Group “South” was completely defeated, and 11 Wehrmacht tank divisions were destroyed, including the 6th SS Panzer Army.
#LestWeForget
In Austria, tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers who saved Europe from the 'Nazi plague' are buried. Across the country, there are 217 monuments and military burial sites where more than 80'000 Red Army soldiers rest, along with concentration camp prisoners tortured by the Nazis and brought here for forced labor as part of the Third Reich’s genocide against the Soviet people during #WWII.
🎖 On August 19, 1945, a monument to Soviet soldiers who perished during the liberation of Austria from Nazism was unveiled in central Vienna at #Schwarzenbergplatz — a 20-meter-high statue of the Soldier-Liberator standing on a pedestal. Today, this memorial serves as a visible reminder to the people of Austria of who brought them freedom in May 1945.
In 1955, under the Austrian State Treaty restoring an independent and democratic Austria, Vienna undertook obligations (Article 19, War Graves and Memorials):
“respect, preserve and maintain the graves on Austrian territory of the soldiers, prisoners of war and nationals forcibly brought to Austria of the Allied Powers as well as of the other United Nations which were at war with Germany, the memorials and emblems on these graves, and the memorials to the military glory of the armies which fought on Austrian territory against Hitlerite Germany”
#WeRemember
🧧On May 6 this year, the Russian Embassy in Belgium, together with the Permanent Mission of Russia to the European Union, held a gala reception dedicated to the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War .
The event was attended by heads and staff of diplomatic missions from more than 50 countries of the Global Majority, representative offices of international and regional organizations, clergy of the Brussels-Belgian Archdiocese, representatives of Belgian expert and cultural circles, and Russian compatriots.
💬Opening the reception, Russian Ambassador to Belgium D.V. Gonchar emphasized that Victory Day is a sacred date in the history of our country.
"The enduring significance of Victory Day is difficult to overestimate. For us, it is a symbol of national triumph, national glory, but also of grief and remembrance. Victory over Nazi Germany was achieved at the cost of incredible sacrifices and heroic efforts, literally with the blood of all the peoples of the Soviet Union. Each of the 15 republics made a significant contribution, both through their participation in combat operations on the front lines and through their unparalleled labor feat in the rear, which enabled the soldiers to be supplied with weapons, equipment, and food. Russia will always cherish the memory of the great feat of the united Soviet people, honoring it as a story of valor, true patriotism, and fortitude."
Speaking about the allies, D.V. Gonchar highlighted China's decisive contribution to the defeat of militaristic Japan and recalled the joint celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in 2025, with the participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing. The ambassador emphasized the role of the Global Majority in the fight against global evil. He also emphasized that the USSR and later Russia never downplayed the contribution of the Allies of the Anti-Hitler Coalition to the defeat of fascism.
"The same cannot be said of our Western 'friends,' who are literally trying to rewrite history before our very eyes, equating liberators and executioners, heroes and traitors. Eighty-one years ago, no one had any doubts about who won and who lost, who championed goodness, peace, and creation, and who was mired in hatred, Nazi theories, and dreams of their own superiority. Today, in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, in violation of international and bilateral obligations, Soviet memorials are being dismantled, a former SS soldier is being honored in the Canadian parliament, and Western countries are turning a blind eye to the revival of Nazi ideology in Ukraine. This is not the kind of world for which young men gave their lives on the battlefields of World War II."
💬In turn, Acting Permanent Representative of Russia to the EU K.K. Malayan called Victory Day Russia's main holiday and one of the most significant days in human history.
"We remember how, during the difficult war years, all anti-fascist forces, including the USSR, the USA, and Great Britain, were able to unite in the face of the fascist threat, despite their ideological differences. Unfortunately, today's European realities have become completely different. Our most important task is to prevent the falsification of history, which is especially important this year, as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg."
🥇As part of the event, the Russian Ambassador to Belgium, D.V. Gonchar, in a solemn ceremony, presented a personal congratulation from the President of the Russian Federation, V.V. Putin, to M.A. Volchenkova, a resident of besieged Leningrad living in Brussels, in connection with the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II.
🎞⭐Guests were treated to a photo exhibition, "Chronicler of a Great Feat: Yevgeny Khaldei," featuring unique wartime images by the legendary Soviet photojournalist.
🎶The real highlight of the evening was the creative duet’s performance of everyone’sfavorite songs from the war years .
#Victory81
🎙Ambassador Andrei Kelin's address on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945
💬 Dear veterans and compatriots,
The 9 May celebrations have not faded with the passing of the years. They still radiate the light that illuminated Europe and the rest of the world in the spring of 1945. As we mark the 81st anniversary of Victory, we recall the scale on which last year's jubilee was celebrated. Yet, 2026 has its own unique legacy of remembrance.
This year marks 85 years since the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, and 80 years since the Nuremberg trials of the leading Nazi war criminals. Between these two dates lies a journey — from catastrophe to Victory, and from Victory to justice. It is the journey made by our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
We prevailed in that war, yet Russia has never diminished the contribution of the Allies to the common Victory.
🤝 We honour the heroism of the British soldiers and the courage of sailors who served on the Arctic convoys. Sadly, Frank Chester, the oldest British war veteran, passed away this spring. He served aboard a corvette in convoy operations and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Fewer and fewer living witnesses to those events remain. Yet, the memory of our peoples' shared struggle endures in historical records, official documents, and the decisions that shaped the post-war world order.
One of the most significant of those decisions was the Nuremberg Tribunal's verdict. For the first time in history, a war of aggression was recognised as the gravest international crime, and the ideology of Nazism was deemed illegal and immoral. Based on these findings, Russia this year marked for the first time the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People, perpetrated by Nazi Germany and its accomplices.
Today, however, Nazism is being revived both in Germany and certain other states to the west of Russia. Forgetting the Nuremberg’s lessons is to risk repeating precisely what the Tribunal sought to prevent. But our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers understood: retribution for genocide is inevitable, and that the enemy shall be defeated. That conviction sustained them even in their darkest hours.
☝️ Our duty – to both the survivors and the fallen – is to preserve the truth and pass it on. This will ensure that each succeeding generation understands what stands behind the date of 9 May, and the price paid for this Victory.
I am confident that the stories that our compatriots here in Britain tell their children – stories of their ancestors and of the terrible struggle fought for life on Earth itself – will serve this purpose. The Embassy will continue to support all those who cherish their ties with their Motherland and remember their roots. We pay particular tribute, of course, to the veterans living in the United Kingdom. Every year, we congratulate them and say: "Thank you".
Happy Victory Day, dear friends!
#Victory81
💐Following the Victory Parade, President Vladimir Putin and the foreign Leaders who attended the celebrations took part in a solemn ceremony and laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – honouring the Soviet heroes who gave their lives to free humanity from Nazism.
The ceremony was attended by:
• President of the Republic of Abkhazia Badra Gunba
• President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
• President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
• President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith
• Supreme Ruler of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim
• President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik
• President of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Sinisa Karan
• President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandic
• President of the Republic of South Ossetia Alan Gagloyev
• President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev
#Victory81
🎙Address by President of Russia – Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin at the military parade marking the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945
📍Moscow, May 9, 2026
💬Vladimir Putin: I congratulate you on Victory Day – our sacred, radiant and most important holiday!
We sacredly honour the legacy and behests of the soldiers of Victory. Care for the Fatherland unites our entire country and all the people of Russia, while preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War, its true history and real heroes is a matter of honour for us.
We will always remember the feat of the Soviet people – the fact that it was they who made the decisive contribution to the defeat of Nazism, saved their country, saved the world, put an end to total and merciless evil, and restored sovereignty to those states that had capitulated to Hitler’s Germany and become obedient accomplices in its crimes.
June 22, 1941 is one of the most tragic and sorrowful dates in our history. This year marks 85 years since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
The Nazis treacherously attacked the Soviet Union. They planned to seize the country and its vast resources, completely destroy its culture and our historical heritage, and ultimately exterminate, enslave and commit genocide against the entire multi-ethnic Soviet people – precisely all peoples, nations and ethnic groups of the Soviet Union.
To carry out these criminal objectives, forces were gathered from across Europe. Nazi strategists seemed to have meticulously accounted for everything – except one thing: what is known as Russian character and the strength of spirit of the Soviet people.
🕯We bow our heads before those who fell in battle. Before those who were tortured under occupation and in captivity, who died of starvation in besieged Leningrad, in other encircled cities and settlements. Before all those who gave their lives for the Motherland, for Russia. We bow our heads to the memory of sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends.
***
The great feat of the victorious generation inspires the warriors who are today carrying out the goals of the special military operation. They are confronting an aggressive force that is being armed and supported by the entire NATO.
☝️And despite this, our heroes are advancing.
Alongside Russian warriors stand workers and designers, engineers, scientists and inventors. They are carrying on the traditions of their predecessors, relying on modern combat experience to create advanced and unique weapons systems and launch their mass production.
I am strongly convinced that our cause is just! We are together! Victory has always been and will always be ours!
Glory to the victorious people! Glory to our veterans! Glory to the Armed Forces of Russia!
Happy Victory Day! Hurrah!
🥇#Victory81
#Victory81
🛰On May 9, Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station – Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikayev and Andrey Fedyaev – send their greetings on Victory Day!
💬 81 years ago, our forefathers defeated a ruthless enemy that sought to wipe entire nations off the face of the Earth. It is to our country that the world owes its liberation from the scourge of fascism.
From aboard the International Space Station, one can clearly see just how beautiful and fragile our planet is – and how important it is to cherish what our forefathers preserved for us.
Victory in the Great Patriotic War is an example of the courage, resilience and heroism shown to the entire world by the people of our country. Thanks to them, today we can dream, explore space and build the future.
Today, we bow our heads before the feat of those who stopped the enemy and achieved the Great Victory. We pay tribute to those who forged weapons in the rear, despite hunger, bombings and devastation.
We thank those who rebuilt the country after the war – a country that, just 16 years later, became the first to send a human into space.
May the memory of these great feats live forever in our hearts and inspire us and our descendants to new accomplishments.
🌟Happy Victory Day!
🌟On the occasion of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, President of Russia Vladimir Putin sent congratulatory messages to:
the Leaders of
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
🇦🇲 Armenia
🇧🇾 Belarus
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
🇹🇯 Tajikistan
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
🤝 Abkhazia
🤝 South Ossetia
the peoples of
• Georgia
• Moldova
***
✍️ President Putin emphasized that on this day, we pay tribute with gratitude and respect to our fathers and grandfathers, who fought shoulder to shoulder on the front lines and worked tirelessly on the home front, bringing the long-awaited Victory over the Nazi invaders closer at the cost of immeasurable sacrifice and hardship.
In his congratulatory messages to foreign Leaders and their citizens, the President of Russia conveyed heartfelt greetings and sincere appreciation to veterans of the Great Patriotic War and home-front workers, wishing them sound health, high spirits and longevity.
In his addresses to the peoples of Georgia and Moldova, Vladimir Putin called for preserving the memory of the harsh wartime years of 1941-1945 and passing on to future generations the noble traditions of friendship and mutual assistance that bind the peoples of our countries.
#Victory81
#Victory81
📄The list of Heads of foreign delegations arriving in Moscow to take part in Victory Day celebrations has been published:
• President of the Republic of Abkhazia Badra Gunba and his wife
• President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
• President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith
• Supreme Ruler of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim
• Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico
• President of the Republic of South Ossetia Alan Gagloyev
• President of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Sinisa Karan
• President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandic and his wife
• President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik and his wife
🇷🇺🏴 The library in the Scottish town of Airdrie recently opened an exhibition dedicated to one of the most touching chapters in the history of relations between the peoples of our countries: the "Scottish Album," which was sent by the women of that town to the residents of besieged Leningrad in the fall of 1941, and the "Leningrad Album," which was sent in return from the encircled "northern capital" to Scotland.
The exhibition features copies of two albums. The first contains handwritten messages of support, poems by Robert Burns, and drawings, as well as the signatures of several thousand female workers of plants and factories, members of communist organizations, and parishioners of churches in Airdrie and Coatbridge. The album, prepared over the course of two weeks, was handed over to the Soviet embassy in London and then shipped to Leningrad. In the besieged city, these words of support were read out loud at public meetings. The residents of Leningrad needed to know that even in distant Scotland, their heroic struggle and the trials they endured were not forgotten.
In early 1942, an album was created in response, containing watercolours and lithographs depicting Leningrad, words of gratitude and determination to confront the common enemy, and thousands of signatures from women of the city on the Neva. In 1943, the album arrived in Airdrie and became the centrepiece of the "Russia Week" exhibition.
Copies of the albums are available for viewing by appointment. The exhibition also features archival materials about the creation of the "Scottish Album" and events held in the region during those years to raise funds to support the Soviet Union fighting fascism, as well as the book "Immortal Regiment" featuring memoirs by St. Petersburg schoolchildren about their great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers who heroically defended our homeland.
🤝 On the eve of Victory Day, Consul General of Russia in Edinburgh Denis Moskalenko and his wife visited the exhibition and thanked the staff of the Airdrie Library for their contribution to preserving the memory of the heroism of the residents of besieged Leningrad and the joint struggle of our peoples against Nazism during World War II.
#Victory81
🌟 On February 3, an exhibition “Stalingrad Suite” by the British artist and World War II veteran Kenneth Loynes was held at the historic premises of the Embassy of Russia in Norway, timed to coincide with the 83rd anniversary of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad.
The main guest of the event was Lyubov Kovaleva, a witness to the Battle of Stalingrad. Representatives of the diplomatic corps, Norwegian citizens, and compatriots living in Norway were also present.
In his address to the guests, Ambassador of Russia to Norway Nikolai Korchunov emphasized:
"The Great Patriotic War affected every family in our country. Today, we pay tribute to those who made our Victory possible.
<...> In memory of the Battle of Stalingrad and all those who fell, we are opening an exhibition of paintings by British artist Kenneth Loynes, ‘The Stalingrad Suite’. <...> In times of geopolitical tension, culture and art remain one of the most important tools for restoring trust and reminding us of universal human values."
During the evening, songs from the war years and classical musical compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Sergei Prokofiev were performed by Timur Dorfman, Adrian Kharitonov, and Svyatoslav Grabovsky.
Guests were shown an excerpt from a documentary film by Norwegian filmmaker Jarle Andhøy about veterans of the Great Patriotic War who survived the Battle of Stalingrad. An interview with artist Kenneth Loynes, provided by his friend Margrete Geurts-Lakin, was also shown.
In conclusion, Nikolay Korchunov awarded our compatriot Tatyana Toresen with the Honorary Sign of a Compatriot of the Commission for the Affairs of Compatriots Living Abroad for her work in identifying the names of Soviet prisoners of war buried in Norway and searching for their relatives.
#Victory81
🎆On January 27, 1944, at 20:00 – for the first time in a long while, the evening sky over Leningrad was lit not by anti-aircraft searchlights, but by the bright flashes of a victory salute.
24 volleys from 324 guns thundered across the Mars Field, along the banks of the Neva River, and from the ships of the Baltic Fleet, marking the long-awaited end of the blockade of the hero city on the Neva.
💬From the Order of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front to the troops of the Leningrad Front, January 27, 1944:
Citizens of Leningrad! Brave and steadfast people of Leningrad!
Together with the troops of the Leningrad Front, you have defended our city. Through your heroic labour and unyielding endurance, overcoming all the hardships and suffering of the blockade, you forged the weapons of Victory over the enemy, giving all your strength to the cause.
In celebration of the Victory achieved and in honour of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the enemy blockade, today, 27 January, at 20:00, the City of Lenin salutes the valiant troops of the Leningrad Front with 24 artillery volleys from 324 guns.
💬From the article by the Leningrad branch of TASS, January 28, 1944:
The hero city, which for 28 months fought steadfastly and courageously against a ferocious enemy, has withstood an unparalleled siege and driven back the Nazi thugs. The warriors of Leningrad, continuing their offensive, are driving the enemy from our Soviet homeland.
In celebration of the Great Victory and in honour of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the enemy blockade, yesterday, 27 January, the City of Lenin saluted the valiant troops of the Leningrad Front.
The capital of our Fatherland, Moscow, which salutes the liberation of ever more cities, yesterday listened with special emotion to the salute – this time thundering from Leningrad itself.
In the darkest and most tragic days of the blockade, the people of Moscow always stood with the people of Leningrad in spirit. They admired their extraordinary resilience and courage, shared in their ordeals, and never wavered in their belief in Victory.
468 long days still remained until the final defeat of the Nazi invaders, and the Red Banner raised over the Reichstag. Yet 82 years ago, the people of Leningrad who had endured bombardment, hunger and unimaginable suffering of the siege had every right to celebrate a special Victory.
Moscow, which marked every military achievement with artillery salute, on that single occasion yielded this honour to the Northern Capital.
🏅Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the battle for Leningrad, for the freedom and independence of our Fatherland!
#Victory81