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🕯 On March 22, 1943, at around this time Nazi invaders and their cronies — Ukrainian nationalist collaborators — destroyed the Belarusian village of #Khatyn, having burned alive & shot almost all of its inhabitants — 149 people, including 75 children... They were all gathered in a barn, locked and burned alive... The blood and ashes of innocent civilians are on the hands of the Nazis from the Dirlewanger Waffen-SS special battalion & Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118 comprised of Ukrainian nationalists (now revered by the neo-Nazis in Kiev). The memory of the victims is being dearly preserved in both Russian and Belarus. ☝️#WeRemember how much grief Nazism brought to our peoples. The lessons of #WWII shall not be subject to oblivion! #LestWeForget

#Victory81 🌟 On April 16, 1945, the Berlin Offensive — one of the Red Army’s key strategic operations during World War II — commenced. The operation resulted in the completedefeat of the enemy’s Berlin group of forces and, with Hitler’s war machine being completely crushed. The Soviet forces took the capital of the Third Reich — #Berlin. The Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany was signed — the document that heralded the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. By spring 1945, the Red Army successfully carried out a series of offensive operations aimed at liberating the countries and peoples of Central and Eastern Europe from the Nazi invaders. Hitler’s troops and their henchmen were expelled from Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Poland; Vienna and the capital of modern Slovakia, Bratislava, saved from the Nazi plague. Nevertheless, #WWII was far from end. The final battle for the liberation of Europe from the Nazi plague, the Battle of Berlin, was coming. By mid-April, 1945, the Soviet forces — having liberated Poland from the Nazis — consolidated positions along the Oder and Neisse rivers and started preparations to launch the offensive on Berlin. Mere dozens of kilometres separated the Red Army from the capital of Hitler’s Germany. The enemy installed deeply echeloned defences and deployed elite Wehrmacht units against the Soviet forces. To attack Berlin, the Soviet Supreme High Command deployed forces from the 1st Belorussian Front (commanded by Marshal Georgy Zhukov); the 2nd Belorussian Front (Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky); and the 1st Ukrainian Front (Marshal Ivan Konev). ⚔️ The Berlin Offensive began at 5:00 AM on April 16 with a massive artillery fire. Following this, 143 powerful spotlights were activated to blind and disorient the enemy. Infantry and armoured units then launched their assault. Enemy resistance intensified as Soviet forces advanced. Fierce fighting erupted at the Seelow Heights — a critical defensive point just 60 kilometres away from Berlin — where the Wehrmacht’s 9th Army, blocking the direct route to the Reich’s capital, was destroyed. Within several days, the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts breached the Oder-Neisse defensive line of the Nazis, advanced 30 kilometres towards Berlin, and started encircling the city to destroy its garrison. • April 20: Red Army units reached Berlin. Soviet long-range artillery started shelling, with brutal tank battles erupting on the city’s outskirts. • April 25: The 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts linked up west of the city, completing the encirclement of the enemy’s Berlin group of Nazi troops. • April 29: Fierce fighting started in the heart of Berlin, where Germany’s highest governmental and military authorities were located. • During the storming of the Reichstag on the night of April 30 - May 1, the legendary #VictoryBanner was raised — a symbol of the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazism. • May 2: Berlin’s garrison surrendered. By May 5, the Nazi resistance was crushed. A total of 134'000 German soldiers and officers were captured. ✍️ On the night of May 8–9, Marshal Zhukov and the Allied representatives accepted Germany’s unconditional surrender at Karlshorst. World War II on the European theatre of operations had ended. The Berlin Operation saw the Red Army not only crush the last major and most elite Wehrmacht force but also liberate approximately 200'000 prisoners from Nazi concentration camps within the combat zone. Over 600 Soviet soldiers were awarded the title #HeroOftheSovietUnion for their valour.

🔴#LIVE: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at the solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Russian Foreign Ministry 🔴X 🔴Facebook 🔴Ruptly 🔴Russia’s MFA website #Victory81#WeRemember

🏅Happy #VictoryDay! Today marks the 81st Anniversary of the Great Victory over Nazism. #Victory81#WeRemember

#Victory81 🌟 On January 13, 1945, the #EastPrussian Offensive by the Red Army — one of the largest and most important #WWII operations against Nazi Germany — commenced. As a result of the operation in the #EastPrussia, the Soviet forces ultimatelydestroyed the Nazis' most capable, experienced, trained and equipped divisions on the entire Eastern front. The 'invincible reich' lost a critical strategic bridgehead in the Baltic region. The fortress city of #Königsberg — the cradle of German militarism and the starting point of eastward expansion — fell once and for all. The triumph of the Red Army in East Prussia held profound symbolic significance: the Nazis were decisively and completely crushed right there, where from, back in June 1941, they treacherously attacked our Motherland. ▪️“There it is, cursed Germany,”— that was what the Soviet soldiers-liberators said while stepping on the enemy's soil to pursue the condign retribution upon the Germans on their own territory. Those were exactly the accurate words to call the country where the most terrible evil the Mankind ever saw in its history — the Nazi scourge — was nurtured. The Germans sought Moscow’s fall, but instead they witnessed with disgrace the collapse of their own “great Reich.” *** The East-Prussian operation. The details January-April, 1945 The battles on the East Prussian theatre of operations lasted for 103 days, which made it the area that saw the longest continuous military engagement in the final year of #WW2. In the region, the Nazis constructed an exceptionally formidable defensive system, tailored to the specific features of terrain. The capital of East Prussia — the fortress city of Königsberg — was equipped with both external and internal urban fortification systems. In East Prussia, the Red Army faced the Nazi army with the personnel strength of some 780'000 Wehrmacht soldiers and officers. ⚔️ On January 13, 1945, the units of the 2nd Byelorussian and forces of the 3rd Byelorussian Fronts of the Red Army launched the offensive in East Prussia. Through the swift and overwhelming assault, the Soviet armor and the infantry, with the support of the aviaton, reached the Baltic Sea near Elbing (now the city of Elbląg in northern Poland) already on the third day of the operation, thus, having cut off any possible retreat routes for the enemy from East Prussia westwards. In less than two weeks, the Soviet forces broke through to Königsberg — the infamous Nazi citadel, which had allowed the Germans to dominate the eastern Baltics throughout the entire war, wasencircled. By February 10, 1945, the Nazi army group 'North' had been split into three isolated and tied down formations that were further driven to the coastline with no hope of escape. In April, the Königsberg garrison — numbering around 200'000 Wehrmacht soldiers and officers — was defeatedand surrendered. On April 9, the Red Army seized the fortress completely — the impregnable stronghold of the Third Reich, fortified with the latest military technology of WWII-era, finally fell. The loss of significant forces and militarily and economically vital region of East Prussia hastened Germany’s defeat. The Soviet forces inflictedhuge losses on the Wehrmacht and completely severed Third Reich’s maritime supply lines, crippling logistics for the blockaded 'Courland Pocket'. To commemorate the Heroic Victory in East Prussia, the medal 'For the Capture of Königsberg' was instituted in the USSR. The Medal was awarded to approximately 760'000 Red Army soldiers and officers. Aftermath WWII, under the terms approved by the Allied Leaders at the #PotsdamConference, much of East Prussia was incorporated into Poland, while a third of East Prussia territory, including the city of Königsberg (the Kaliningrad Region), became part of the Soviet Union. 🎖 By the Executive Order of President of Russia Vladimir Putin (signed on November 17, 2025), a new memorial date was established in our country — April 9, the Day of the Heroic Assault and Capture of Königsberg (1945).

#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

🎙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