#WeRemember
🌟 On January 27, 1944, Leningrad was completely liberated from the Nazi blockade.
8️⃣7️⃣2️⃣days of the barbaric siegeby the Nazis of our northern capital, which lasted for an unprecedented period from September 8, 1941 until January 27, 1944, and had devastating consequences, terrible sufferings caused by the German invaders to the people of Leningrad, finally ended.
According to historical calculations, over a million people perished during those years, including more than 600'000 of children, women, the seniors, and also the wounded and disabled soldiers — they were dying, because of the Nazis, of starvation, cold, exhaustion and disease.
#LestWeForget: The unbending people of Leningrad of all ages, men and women from small to large, demonstrated extraordinary Heroism and Courage and went through, with dignity, all the inhuman sufferings by the Nazi barbarians and their accomplices. Despite starvation, living under permanent bombing and shelling by the German and Finnish artillery, the people of Leningrad withstood the siege, defended their city and made their invaluable substantial contribution to the Great Victory.
The Nazi criminals did not avoid accountability and paid a high price for the outrageous blockade — the enemy army Group 'North' lost over 900'000 men during the siege and was ultimately destroyed by the Red Army in the Baltic region, Karelia and East Prussia.
***
❗️The history of mankind has never witnessed anything comparable to the Blockade of Leningrad in terms of the scale of the tragedy and the extent of the suffering endured by people.
The Nazis and their accomplices followed Hitler’s direct order — to hold Leningrad under a tight siege, fire at anyone crossing the frontline and seek to exterminate all the people in the city. Leningrad was completely encircled in early September 1941, cut off from the rest of the country. The only way to get in and out of the city was by air or across Lake Ladoga’s ice — the route across the lake came to be known as the#RoadOfLife.
During the first weeks of the siege, Nazi troops and the Finns, who were holding blockade of Leningrad from the north, shelled the city with heavy and dense artillery fire, resulting in food warehouses being burnt down. As Leningrad received most of its food from other regions of the country, it immediately began to suffer from food shortages, primarily a lack of bread. Only 13 bakery plants remained in operation to serve almost 2.5 million people.
Given those acute shortages of food supplies, there were strict rationing norms for bread. From November 1941, factory workers received 250 grammes, while children were entitled to just 125 (!) grammes of bread per day. Many people began to die of starvation.
❗️ However, despite all those inhuman conditions, the City never ever gave up fighting. Life in Leningrad went on and never stopped for a second.
***
The Red Army tried to break the blockade on many occasions. Having fought multiple battles, with the fiercest combats taking place on the 'Neva Bridgehead' on the River Neva’s left bank, our forces succeeded in partially lifting the siege in January 1943 as part of Operation Iskra — 'Spark'.
🎖OnJanuary 27, 1944, the Siege of Leningrad was completely lifted following a rapid offensive by the Red Army, with the Leningrad and Novgorod regions being also liberated from the Nazi invaders. Wehrmacht troops were forced to retreat to the Baltics, where they were later totally defeated and destroyed.
💬Maria Zakharova:
The defence of Leningrad has become a symbol of courageof the Soviet people. <...> The people of Leningrad saved their city despite incredible sufferings — they have saved it as their human dignity.
That is probably the greatest heroism of the people of Leningrad, the greatest sacrifice they made for all of us — not just for the people of our country but for the world as a whole.
(From the briefing by Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, January 22, 2026)
🕯December 3marks the Day of the Unknown Soldier in Russia, honouring the feat of all soldiers who perished for the Motherland, yet whose names remain unknown.
#OnThisDay in 1966, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Red Army's victory over Nazi forces in theBattle of Moscow, a ceremony of the burial of the unknown soldiers' remains was held in the Alexander Garden near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. These remains were originally located in a mass grave on the 41st kilometre of the Leningrad Highway and were discovered during construction activities on the road. Back in 1941, during the Battle of Moscow, this very place saw fierce and bloody battles between the Soviet forces and Nazi invaders.
▪️ On May 8, 1967, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden was unveiled. "Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal", — the worldwide famous words were inscribed upon the granite slab on the Tomb. Soviet newspapers noted back then: "...he [the Unknown Soldier] was slain for his Motherland, for his home — Moscow. This is all we know about him."
💬 Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky remarked:
"The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the ancient walls of the Moscow Kremlin shall serve as a monument of eternal glory to the heroes who died on the battlefield for their Motherland.
Henceforth, the ashes of the one who shielded Moscow with his chest rest here".
The Eternal Flame was set at the Tomb. In December of 1997, the Honor Guard was instituted near the Eternal Flame.
In total, approximately two million Soviet and Russian citizens were reported missing in action during the wars and conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Russian Ministry of Defence carries out on a regular basis search operations to perpetuate the memory of heroes who perished for the Motherland.
Russian diplomats abroad are engaged in extensive efforts aimed at preserving historical memory, countering attempts to distort the history of #WWII and to question the Great Victory of the Soviet people.
The Embassies of Russia all across the world ensure the maintenance, repair and restoration of Soviet monuments and war graves.
❗️ Regrettably, as part of a disgraceful campaign to distort history of #WWII, a policy ofstate vandalism is being pursued in certain countries of Eastern Europe, in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in particular, with the one aim — to eradicate Russia's memorial heritage — the monuments to Soviet heroes and liberators.
By order of the official authorities, criminal acts are being perpetrated in these countries to desecrate mass graves, when the remains of fallen soldiers are barbarically exhumed for the purpose of their subsequent "reburial in accordance with European practice" in specially designated locations.
🎗 It is prohibited for Russian compatriots in Europe, under the threat (!) of criminal prosecution, to pay tribute to heroes who fought against Nazism. The Russian MFA highlights these outrageous incidents.
The memory of all who sacrificed their lives for our future is and will remain immortal.
#WeRemember
Сегодня в англиканской церкви Святого Андрея Посол Великобритании Найджел Кейси посещает службу, посвященную Дню памяти павших #RemembranceDay
День памяти — это время, когда мы чтим память тех, кто отдал свои жизни в конфликтах и войнах. Красный мак, который мы носим, символизирует не прославление войны, а нашу благодарность тем, кто служил, и нашу надежду на мир.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
#LestWeForget#RemembranceSunday#МыПомним
#Victory81
🥇#OTD8️⃣3️⃣ years ago, during the Voroshilovgrad Offensive Operation – Operation “Skachok” (Gallop) – the Red Army liberated Voroshilovgrad (Lugansk) from Nazi invaders.
Founded by Empress Catherine II in 1795, Voroshilovgrad was one of the largest industrial centres of Donbassby the start of the Great Patriotic War. The city supplied the front and rear not only with ammunition, but also with coal, steel and other strategically vital resources for the country’s defence.
By autumn 1941, the Nazis had occupied almost the entire territory of the Ukrainian SSR – yet they failed to capture Voroshilovgrad. The defenders of Lugansk land stood strong – their courage made it possible to evacuate around 150 enterprises, nearly all agricultural machinery and substantial food reserves to the rear.
Despite fierce fighting, the city fell in July 1942. Seven long months – 212 days – of occupation followed: terror, executions and destruction. However, the enemy could not break the spirit of resistance. Sabotage and partisan operations thwarted the Nazis’ plans and they failed to restart a single enterprise or mine in the region.
⚔️ After the decisive victory at Stalingrad, the strategic initiative passed to the Red Army. The Supreme High Command set a clear task – to build on the success, break into Donbass and advance towards the Dnieper.
Under the command of Colonel GeneralNikolai Vatutin, the liberation of Voroshilovgrad was carried out from two directions. Soviet forces encircled the main units of Army Group “Don”, depriving the enemy of the ability to establish a stable defence.
💬 On 16 February 1943, Krasnaya Zvezdadescribed the defeat of German forces near Voroshilovgrad:
The German garrison included large infantry formations, tanks and specialised troops – not only battle-worn divisions but also strong reserves.
The offensive began with the seizure of small bridgeheads on the right bank of the Seversky Donets. After powerful artillery preparation, rifle units launched simultaneous attacks along several sectors.
Advancement developed methodically. By the third day, most of the eastern defensive sector had been cleared. German infantry retreated hastily towards the city, leaving rearguards along the Lugan River.
Fierce resistance unfolded in the streets. A struggle for every fortified position ensued. Soviet assault groups, advancing systematically, encircled enemy strongpoints and eliminated their garrisons – clearing neighbourhood after neighbourhood.
Heavy losses in manpower and equipment significantly weakened the Voroshilovgrad grouping. The tempo of Soviet operations increased, pressure intensified, and enemy counterattacks grew weaker and less frequent. A series of new blows decided the outcome of the battle.
On 14 February 1943, troops of the South-Western Front completely cleared the city of German forces. Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Rusakov, commander of the 1005th Rifle Regiment, raised the Red Banner at the Lenin monument on Revolution Square.
More than 10,000 Red Army soldiers gave their lives for the city’s liberation. At the site of the fiercest fighting and the mass grave of Soviet warriors – Ostraya Mogila – a memorial was erected in 1945 to a design by sculptor Vera Mukhina. In 2023, it underwent large-scale reconstruction by the Russian Military-Historical Society on the instructions of the Russian President. Today, the memorial complex unites the memory of four generations of heroes – from the Civil War of 1917-1922 to the present struggle against Ukrainian neo-Nazism.
🇷🇺Eternal memory and glory to the defenders of Donbass!
#WeRemember
#FacesOfVictory
🗓 On April 5, 1923, Soviet fighter pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union Timur Frunze was born.
The son of Mikhail Frunze, a renowned Soviet military leader, revolutionary, and prominent Civil War commander, Timur was destined for a military career from childhood. After losing his parents and grandmother early in life, he was taken under the care of Kliment Voroshilov, who served as People’s Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs of the Soviet Union.
At the age of 10, Timur was enrolled in a specialised Air Forces school. Upon completing his studies there, he continued his training at the Myasnikov Kacha Red Banner Military Aviation School, which he graduated with honours in 1941 and was commissioned with the rank of lieutenant.
✍️ Timur’s teachers recognised both his determination and his natural ability. In a service review, his course director, Senior Lieutenant Nemykin, wrote:
“I have never met a young man who so eagerly absorbed new knowledge. His interests extend far beyond the curriculum...”
Beginning in 1938, Timur served in the Red Army. After he finished flight school in September 1941, Air Forces command initially intended to keep the young pilot away from the front lines so he could build experience in the rear. However, Frunze strongly insisted on being sent to the front.
In December 1941, he was assigned to the 161st Fighter Aviation Regiment on the Soviet Northwestern Front, where he flew a Yak-1 fighter aircraft.
During his service, Frunze completed nine combat missions, shooting down two enemy aircraft alone and one as a member of a two-person crew.
🕯 On January 19, 1942, his life was tragically cut short: at just 18 years old, Timur died in an unequal battle against seven enemy fighters.
The Soviet pilot was buried with full military honours at the cemetery in the village of Kresttsy, Novgorod Region. After the war, his remains were reinterred at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
🎖 On March 16, 1942, by an executive order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Lieutenant Timur Frunze was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
#Victory81#WeRemember
🇷🇺 On April 26, the School by the Russian Embassy in Cambodia joined the International “Dictation of Victory” campaign.
📌 Pupils and teachers of the educational organization, diplomatic staff and Russian compatriots permanently residing in Cambodia came to test their knowledge of the history of World War II.
#Victory80#VictoryDictation#WeRemember
🌟#OnThisDay in 1943, the Battle of Prokhorovka took place, the largest tank engagement in human history fought as part of the wider Battle of Kursk. In the fiercest moments of the fighting, up to 1,200 tanks and self-propelled artillery units were engaged simultaneously.
By July 1943, a significant part of Soviet territory was still under Nazi control, but the potential of the Third Reich war machine was already running out. Trying to regain the initiative, the Wehrmacht command developed a summer offensive plan, codenamed Operation Citadel. The Nazis intended to destroy the Voronezh and Central fronts and crush the Red Army tank reserves near Prokhorovka, a village in the Belgorod Region.
🔻 By the night of July 9, German troops succeeded in cutting into the Voronezh Front defences, but their further advance was curbed. The German command then decided to try and break the Soviet defence line by striking at Prokhorovka, to reach Kursk from the south-east. To disrupt the offensive, the Voronezh Front command launched a counterattack on July 12, which went down in history as the Battle of Prokhorovka.
On July 12, Germany’s 2nd SS Panzer Corps faced off against two Soviet forces, Alexey Zhadov’s 5th Guards Army and the 5th Guards Tank Army commanded by Pavel Rotmistrov in the vicinity of Prokhorovka. The battle was fought with varying success; both sides were forced to draw on reserves.
✍️ Soviet ace tanker Vasily Bryukhov recalled in his memoirs: “Strong explosions often made a tank just collapse, turn into a pile of metal in a matter of seconds. <...> The opponents were perfect matches for each other. They fought desperately, ferociously, with fierce abandon.”
In every instance of the battle, the Red Army soldiers demonstrated unparalleled courage and extraordinary fighting skill. Thanks to their decisive actions, the enemy exhausted offensive opportunities and on July 16, began to withdraw its troops to the initial positions held at the beginning of the Battle of Kursk. The Red Army seized the strategic initiative and held it for the rest of the war.
#Victory79#WeRemember
80 лет спустя после Дня Победы в Тихом океане #VJDay мы отдаем дань уважения всем тем, кто сражался, кто попал в плен, и всем, кто пожертвовал собой.
Наша страна всегда будет в большом долгу перед теми, кто боролся за лучшее будущее.
#LestWeForget#VJDay#VEDay#VEDay80
🎖October 14 marks 81 years since the Sobibor uprising — a special date in the history of World War II.
📅 It was #OnThisDay in 1943, that the only successful mass escape from the Nazi death camps took place — the Sobibor uprising, led by a Soviet prisoner of war, the Red Army lieutenant Alexander Pechersky.
▪️During the war, Nazi Germany established about 14,000 concentration camps, with the so-called death camps among them, used by the Nazis to exterminate people. Sobibor was one those death camps formed in German-occupied Poland with one aim — to ensure the “final solution to the Jewish question.”
Sobibor had been in operation since May 1942. It was located near the village of Sobibor in the south east of Poland near the Western Bug River and the Polish-Soviet border. The camp was set up by the Nazis on a railroad haul between towns Chelm and Wlodawa, which made it possible to ship prisoners to Sobibor by train cars.
Sobibor was literally a death factory designed to slaughter people in the most brutal and terrifying ways. Each and every day, up to six trains each carrying 2,000 people — both military and civilians, including senior people, women, and children — delivered prisoners to that camp.
▪️Captives in Sobibor were shot, gassed, starved or exploited to the death. People were subjected to heinous medical experiments. Prisoners were brought to Sobibor for further torture and slaughter from Austria, Czechoslovakia, France. It is known that the two so-called "children trains" left the Netherlands for Sobibor in June 1943. During the time the camp was in operation, the Nazis massacred there up to 250,000 POWs.
Sobibor was well-guarded by the Nazis. The camp was fenced off by four rows of three-metre-high barbed wire. The territory around was mined. There were sentinels on towers along the perimeter. Sobibor was also cordoned off by 200 guards, with about a hundred SS soldiers among them. Ukrainian collaborators, including those serving in 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), were in charge of maintaining the “order” in Sobibor.
Given all that, escaping from Sobibor seemed unthinkable.
⚔️ On October 14, 1943, the uprising in Sobibor under the leadership of Alexander Pechersky took place. Encouraged by the Soviet officer, the prisoners performed a truly heroic feat — in an unequal battle with the Nazis, POWs killed 11 or, according to other sources, 12 SS soldiers and several guards. Having overpowered the enemy literally with bare hands, the prisoners rushed undaunted to the central gate of Sobibor under heavy machine-gun fire from the towers. Nothing could stop the doomed prisoners, neither the minefields surrounding the camp, nor the barbed wire, nor the gun fire.
As a result of the uprising in Sobibor, about 300 prisoners managed to escape from this hell on Earth. Many survivors who managed to escape further joined the ranks of the resistance and continued their fight against the enemy. Alexander Pechersky himself joined the Belarusian partisans, and in 1944 fought the Nazis again.
☝️The Sobibor uprising is known to be the only ever successful mass escape from Nazi death camps in the history of WWII. The Nazi SS command, unable to bear the shame and trying to hide the traces of their crimes against humanity in Sobibor, ordered to raze the camp to the ground.
The crimes committed in Sobibor were part of the charges against the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials, and the stories told by eyewitnesses and participants of the uprising were depicted in many books and films. Todaythe Alexander Pechersky Foundation in Russia plays an important role in preserving the memory of the Sobibor prisoners’ feat.
#Victory79#WeRemember
🎉 On May 9, on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Embassy in India hosted a solemn rally with the participation of Ambassador of Russia Denis Alipov, heads of the diplomatic missions of friendly countries, representatives of Russian organizations’ foreign offices in India and members of their families.
🇦🇿🇦🇲🇧🇾🇰🇿🇰🇬🇷🇺🇹🇯🇺🇿
🌹 As part of the event, flowers were laid at the memorial stele and the “St. George’s Ribbon” campaign was held.
🔸@RusEmbIndia
#Victory81
#WeRemember
#VictoryDay
⚡ On May 7, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, Russian Embassy in Cambodia hosted “Immortal Regiment” march.
Russian Ambassador to Cambodia H.E. Mr Anatoly Borovik and his Spouse, Russian diplomats and members of their families, students and teachers of the Embassy School took part in the event. Russian compatriots living in the Kingdom, as well as representatives of the Association of Cambodian Students from Soviet Union and Russia joined the procession.
📌 The essence of this action is to preserve the memory of the feat of the Soviet people, who defeated fascism, liberated their Motherland and many European countries. Participants of the “Immortal Regiment” carry portraits of their relatives who brought the Great Victory closer, fighting on the fronts or working in the rear, and covered themselves with everlasting glory of heroes and winners.
🔥 The participants also laid flowers at the Obelisk to the Fallen Soldiers and honored their memory with a Minute of Silence.
On Victory Day, May 9, thousands of people walk on the streets of Russian cities to honor the memory of heroic ancestors. Since 2018 the march has been held annually in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
#Victory80#WeRemember#ImmortalRegiment
🇷🇺 The Embassy of Russia in Cambodia continues to cover the activities of the “Vympel-Poisk MSU” search team.
Today we will talk about the most important find of the searchers - a soldier's medallion.
🪖 On the eve of the Great Patriotic War a new type of medallion was introduced – a black hexagonal capsule with a screw-on lid and a double paper insert. The insert contained basic information about the soldier: full name, rank, year and place of birth, recruitment office, and family information. The soldiers of the 8th Division of the People's Militia had exactly such medallions. And almost the only way to discover the name of the perished is to identify them by such a medallion.
However, this process is difficult for a few reasons. For decades of exposure to earth and water, even a plastic protected insert often decays and takes the name of the fallen soldier with it forever. It was also considered bad luck among soldiers to fill the medallion, which was also called a “death medallion”, so many of the capsules found are empty.
⭐ The first three photos show the moment of opening a soldier's medallion found during a search expedition in 2018. To prevent the paper insert, which had been in a plastic case for more than 80 years, from falling apart, it is slowly unfolded in a tub of water.
📃 The fourth photo shows the filled insert of the Red Army soldier Shimanov Viktor Vasilyevich. His remains were discovered by the search team in the spring of 2016 near the village of Uvarovo. The machine gunner was only 16 years old when killed.
📷 Daria Smirnova
#Victory80#WeRemember#VympelPoiskMSU