#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.
🇷🇺The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Canada, together with the Consulate General of Russia in Toronto and the Canadian Association of World War II Veterans from the Soviet Union, held a traditional meeting with veterans, volunteers, and representatives of public organizations.
🇷🇺 The meeting served as an important platform for dialogue and for reviewing ongoing memorial and historical work. Participants discussed upcoming patriotic initiatives in the context of preparations for the 8️⃣1️⃣st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
💬Ambassador Oleg Stepanov:
Preserving the historical memory of Soviet people’s feat in the war remains our top priority. I would like to sincerely thank the veterans, volunteers, and active members of the Russian community in Canada for their efforts to defend the truth about Victory.
🔴 During the meeting, the Ambassador presented a commemorative gift from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to Arkady Nesonelievich Gorbunov, who celebrated his
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th birthday on September 5, 2025.
🪖 Arkady Gorbunov is a frontline veteran who endured a difficult combat path and was wounded twice. For his courage and bravery, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War (1st Class), as well as combat medals. After the war, he devoted himself to peaceful labor and science, working for many years at an aircraft manufacturing plant.
🔴🔴No one is forgotten. Nothing is forgotten.
#WeRemember#Victory81
#Victory81
🏅 In January 1944, Leningrad was completely liberated from the Nazi siege, which had lasted 8️⃣7️⃣2️⃣ days.
During this time, the city endured severe hunger, constant shelling, and bombing.
◾️ Facts about the genocide of the Soviet people in Leningrad 👉 More than 1 million people fell victim to the genocide. Of these, over 600,000 residents — children, women, the elderly, soldiers wounded and maimed at the front — died of hunger, cold, exhaustion, and disease.
Leningraders saw death all around them every day, but they did not lose their dignity and faith in Victory.
The memory of the Leningrad siege is preserved by museums, memorials, and the Piskarevskoye Cemetery, and the stories of survivors remind us of the courage and resilience of the city's residents.
#WeRemember
🎥The film was produced by the Information Department of the Administration of the Governor of St. Petersburg, commissioned by the Government of St. Petersburg, with the support of JSC "GATR" and the Archives Committee.
📆On February 3, 2026, the Embassy of Russia to Canada and representatives of the Russian community congratulated veterans on the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
🇷🇺 On behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the commemorative medals “80 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945” were presented to the following veterans:
1️⃣ Nadezhda Evseeva - former concentration camp prisoner;
2️⃣ Tamara Mitnik - survivor of the Siege of Leningrad.
🕯 During the heartfelt and informal conversation, the veterans shared their wartime memories, spoke of their families' fates, and recalled the courage and resilience with which the Soviet people endured immense hardship.
🔴🔴No one is forgotten! Nothing is forgotten!
#Victory81#WeRemember
🕯 On 27 January Russian diplomats together with Russian compatriots living in the United Kingdom laid a wreath and flowers at the Soviet War Memorial in London to mark the 82nd anniversary of the lifting of the Nazi siege of Leningrad.
Members of the Russian community in Manchester also held a flower-laying ceremony at a plaque unveiled in 2020 in honoured memory of the Soviet soldiers, who gave their lives liberating Europe and in recognition of the brave people of the besieged Leningrad.
On the eve of this date, the Russian diplomatic mission's staff conveyed greetings of the Governor of Saint Petersburg (former Leningrad) Alexander Beglov to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War – residents of the besieged Leningrad, who currently live in the UK.
The Nazi German blockade of the city stands as one of the most tragic yet heroic chapters in the history of our country. It lasted from 8 September 1941 to 27 January 1944 — 872 days of extreme hardship, hunger and deprivation. Historians estimate that no more than 800,000 of the three million inhabitants of Leningrad and its surrounding areas survived the siege.
The feat of Leningraders has become a symbol of unbreakable will, courage and self-sacrifice. The memory of those who died in the blockade will remain in our hearts forever.
#Victory81#WeRemember
#Victory81
🌟 On February 2, 1943, the #BattleOfStalingrad — one of the most brutal battles of the Great Patriotic War and #WW2, which turned the tide of that terrible and bloody conflict — concluded with the total and complete defeat of the Nazi forces.
The fight for Stalingrad lasted for2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ days and nights, surpassing all previous battles in world history both in scale and intensity. The combat to the death took place in Stalingrad for each and every alley, every house, every inch of the ground. During that battle, more than 2.1 million people were involved on both sides.
The Nazi invaders, obsessed with the illusion of their superiority and strive to enslave the Soviet people, failed in Stalingrad — never ever had the Germans managed to break the spirit or morale of the defenders of our Motherland. The Red Army soldiers, showing unparalleled courage,braveryandheroism, stood their ground with steadfastness and achieved a great victory that would eventually define the outcome of the entire #WWII.
The Nazi war machine suffered a crushing and catastrophic defeat, which, as history would show, was fatal for Germany.
☝️ At Stalingrad, the Red Army showed that the Third Reich and Nazism are beatable, that they can and will be destroyedonce and for all.
***
In the summer of 1942, the Nazi troops launched another major offensive on the southern flank of the Soviet–German front.
At that time, the target was #Stalingrad— a key industrial and transport hub on the Volga river. Had the Nazis succeeded, Hitler’s barbarians would have severed crucial supply lines, seized the rich agricultural regions of Kuban and Stavropol, and broken through to the Caucasus, where they hoped to capture abundant oilfields.
The entire power of the Nazi war machine fell on Stalingrad on July 17 — the city’s heroic defence commenced. The enemy committed up to 80 Wehrmacht divisions to that attack, followed by savage combat for the city raging almost all around the clock days and nights. The Soviet defenders fought firmly, leaving not a single inch of our Motherland.
The Wehrmacht troops, commanded by infamous Nazi General Friedrich Paulus (it was him who devised operation 'Barbarossa' plan — Germany’s treacherous attack on the Soviet Union) were confronted by the Soviet 62nd and 64th armies. Vasily Chuikov, the commander of the 62nd Army, is rightly considered to be one of the architects of the victory at Stalingrad — the brilliant tactician, he refined and put into practice assault-group strategy that became key to our triumph in Stalingrad.
By mid-November 1942, after fierce and lasting resistance and regrouping of forces, the Red Army created favourable conditions to launch counter-offensive near Stalingrad👉 from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943, the Soviet forces brilliantly executed the operation 'Ring', having successfully encircled Nazis 6th Army in “cauldron” between the Don and Volga rivers.
OnJanuary 31, Field Marshal Paulus and his staff unconditionally surrendered. On February 2, the last pockets of Nazis' resistance were eliminated, with Germany’s 'axis' troopscompletely destroyed.
🎖 The Battle of Stalingrad ended in aRed Army's brilliant military triumph. The Nazis lost up to 1/4 of all the personnel and equipment deployed on the entire Eastern Front.
Since then,the word “Stalingrad” has echoed, and will forever echo, in the hearts and collective memory of our people as an enduring reminder of the Great Heroic Feat performed by the defenders of our Motherland.
***
On November 29, 1943, during the Tehran Conference, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Joseph Stalin with a sword specially forged by the order of King George VI in tribute to the courage and resilience of Stalingrad defenders.
Inscribed on the blade were the words:
TO THE STEEL-HEARTED CITIZENS OF STALINGRAD • THE GIFT OF KING GEORGE VI • IN TOKEN OF THE HOMAGE OF THE BRITISH PEOPLE
The sword became an iconic commemorative relic, symbolising the Anglo-American allies’ eternal tribute to the Heroic Soviet victorious generation.
#Berlin International Film Festival to honor #Ethiopian born Haile Gerima with #Berlinale_Camera at 76th edition
Ethiopian born filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with the Berlinale Camera at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cinema.
Haile Gerima’s latest work, Black Lions – Roman Wolves, a nearly nine-hour exploration of the history and mythology of Italian colonialism and a commemoration of Ethiopian resistance, is set to celebrate its world premiere in this year’s Berlinale Forum.
The presentation of the Berlinale Camera will take place on 17 February 2026, at 4:00 pm at Delphi Filmpalast, during the screening of the film.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=55216
🇩🇪🇵🇸 Quatre militants propalestiniens ont escaladé le toit d’un site de l'entreprise de défense Rheinmetall à Berlin et l’ont aspergé de peinture rouge, rapporte Bild.
#berlin#palestine#activistes
#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
#Victory81
🌟 On May 4, 1945, just two days after the Red Army took Berlin over control in the final days of #WWII, the first #VictoryParade of the Soviet was held at the very heart of the defeated Reich’s capital.
Our soldiers, who heroically defeated the Nazi troops in Berlin, marched past the Reichstag with triumph and the Brandenburg Gate, which symbolised the end of Nazi Germany and the restoration of peace in Europe.
More than two thousand Red Army soldiers and officers — those who had distinguished themselves in the final battles for the Nazi capital — participated in the parade. The parade was commanded by Nikolay Berzarin, Hero of the Soviet Union and the first commandant of Berlin.
The soldiers and their commanders, who had crushed the resistance of the Nazi troops, marched in triumph through the very streets where the Nazis had once displayed its military power.
Our soldiers and officers wore their field uniforms — the very same battle-worn coats soaked with sweat and blood from the still-healing wounds of the decisive battle of the entire #WW2.
🎖#VictoryParade held in the heart of defeated Germany became a powerful symbol of the greatest military triumph of the Soviet people, the culmination of the Red Army’s liberation mission, which saved the world from Nazism.
On that victorious day — May 4, 1945 — the glory of the Soviet Soldier-Liberator was recognised by the entire world.
#WeRemember#OurVictory
🎗 On May 4, on the eve of the Victory Day, the Embassy of Russia in Cambodia launched the Saint George’s Ribbon campaign. The staff members of the diplomatic mission led by H.E. Mr Anatoly Borovik, students and teachers of the Embassy School joined the event.
#Victory81
#NoOneIsForgotten
📆Am 16. April 1945 begann die Schlacht um Berlin oder die „Strategische Offensive Berlin“, die zur endgültigen Niederlage der Hauptkräfte der deutschen Wehrmacht, zur Einnahme Berlins und zur Vereinigung mit den Truppen der Westalliierten führte. Mehr als 3,5 Millionen Menschen nahmen an der Schlacht um die Zukunft Europas teil.
An der Operation waren Truppen der 2. Weißrussischen Front unter dem Kommando von Marschall Konstantin Rokossowski, Truppen der 1. Weißrussischen Front unter dem Kommando von Marschall Georgi Schukow und Truppen der 1. Ukrainischen Front unter dem Kommando von Marschall Iwan Konew beteiligt. Die Dnjepr-Flottille – ein Teil der Baltischen Flotte – sowie die 1. und 2. Armee der polnischen Volksarmee waren ebenfalls an den Kämpfen beteiligt.
⚔️ Die Operation begann mit einem Nachtangriff, bei dem 143 Suchscheinwerfer eingesetzt wurden, um den Feind zu blenden. Die sowjetischen Stoßtrupps der 1. Weißrussischen Front von Georgi Schukow durchbrachen schnell die ersten feindlichen Verteidigungslinien, stießen aber später auf den Seelower Höhen auf ernsthaften Widerstand.
Am 25. April vereinten sich die Truppen der 1. Ukrainischen und der 1. Weißrussischen Front westlich der Hauptstadt des Dritten Reiches und vervollständigten die Einkreisung der feindlichen Verteidigungskräfte in Berlin. Am 29. April begannen die Kämpfe um den Reichstag. Die erste sowjetische Fahne auf dem Dach des Gebäudes wurde schon am nächsten Tag gehisst, aber die Berliner Garnison kapitulierte erst in der Nacht zum 2. Mai.
🛡 Am Ende des 5. Mai war der feindliche Widerstand endgültig gebrochen, 134 Tausend deutsche Soldaten und Offiziere ergaben sich. In der Nacht zum 9. Mai nahm Marschall Georgi Schukow zusammen mit Vertretern der britischen, amerikanischen und französischen Befehlshaber die bedingungslose Kapitulation der deutschen Truppen in Karlshorst entgegen. Der Krieg in Europa war zu Ende.
Während der Schlacht um Berlin gelang es den Einheiten der Roten Armee nicht nur, einen der größten Truppenverbände der Wehrmacht einzukesseln und zu besiegen, sondern auch rund 200 Tausend Gefangene aus den Nazi-Lagern rund um Berlin zu befreien. Mehr als 600 Teilnehmer der Operation wurden für ihren Heldenmut mit dem Titel „Held der Sowjetunion“ geehrt.
@RusBotschaft
#GroßerSieg#ZweiterWeltkrieg#Geschichte#Berlin