#Victory81
🌟 On April 22, 1945, the Red Army liberated the prisoners of the Nazi concentration camp Sachsenhausen during #WW2.
The forces of the 1st Belorussian Front, which had been advancing towards the Reich's capital from the north during the Berlin offensive operation, drove the Nazi troops out of Oranienburg and reached Sachsenhausen, having rescued around 3'000 surviving POWs.
#Sachsenhausen was considered as one of the most terrifying Nazi 'death factories'. Over nine years of its existence, about 200'000 people of various nationalities — citizens of European countries which had suffered from Nazi aggression, including the USSR — passed through that camp. Each month, up to 150 people were brought there. By 1944, citizens of the Soviet Union and Poland made up more than 90% of all Sachsenhausen prisoners.
Sachsenhausen held the most serious political opponents of Hitler, prominent state figures from many European countries defeated by the Nazis, such as France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and the Netherlands, including their heads of government and ministers.
◼️ According to various historical estimates, more than 100'000 prisoners were killed in Sachsenhausen over the time the camp was in operation.
From August to November 1941 alone, at least 10'000 Soviet POWs were killed in Sachsenhausen, and another 3'000 died there from starvation and from conditions that were barbaric, unprecedentedly violent, and, in fact, inhumane.
On the personal orders of Himmler and other top leaders of the Third Reich, classified operations to exterminate people were carried out in Sachsenhausen.
Nazi's military doctors carried out macabre, horrific medical experiments on Sachsenhausen prisoners, including tests with mustard gas — yprite. Test subjects were deliberately mutilated and then exposed to mustard gas. People were forced to inhale the gas, consume it in liquid form, or receive it via injection. Open wounds were intentionally inflicted on prisoners’ hands, after which the gas was applied. In most cases, the victims’ limbs swelled severely, causing excruciating pain.
When the Red Army were rapidly advancing to Sachsenhausen during theBattle of Berlin,the Nazis began hastily covering up the traces of their heinous crimes. The camp administration decided to kill all remaining prisoners — with 45'000 inmates remaining in the camp.
TheNazis killed some of the prisoners in the crematoria of Sachsenhausen, and forced the rest on a 'death march' towards the Baltic Seawhere they planned to drown their victims. However, thanks to the successful and rapid advance of the Red Army, these monstrous Nazi plans were thwarted,and the surviving prisoners of Sachsenhausen were rescued.
In aftermath of #WWII, Sachsenhausen was converted into a prison for Nazi criminals, including members of the Nazi NSDAP party, SS troops, and Wehrmacht officers. In November 1947, a trial of the Sachsenhausen administration was held in Berlin.
📑 Excerpt from a report “Reactions of the German population to the trial of criminals from Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp” (Berlin, November 5, 1947; prepared by the 7th Department of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army):
<...> The trial of the Sachsenhausen criminals elicited a significant response among the German population... In the comments about the trial, a sense of outrage at the scale of the heinous crimes committed was most often expressed.
It was noted that the Nazis' actions had covered the German people in disgrace.
“We find it incomprehensible how those people could sink lower than beasts. For us, Germans, who culturally considered ourselves almost a head above the Russians, it is a disgrace that these criminals are Germans” (Potsdam).
“The [Sachsenhausen] trial is a terrible disgrace for the German people... <...> It is inconceivable that humans could commit such atrocities. It’s a pity that in the western [occupation] zones such criminals are still walking free.”
“Nazi criminals have nailed an entire generation of Germans to the pillory.”
#NoStatuteOfLimitations
#YourNameIsUnknown
#YourFeatIsImmortal
🕯December 3 marks the #DayOfTheUnknownSoldierin Russia, honouring the feat of all soldiers who perished for the Motherland, yet whose names remain unknown.
#OTDin 1966, to mark the 25th anniversary of defeating Nazi invaders near Moscow, a ceremony of the burial of an unknown soldiers' remains was held in the Alexander Garden near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. Those remains were originally located in a mass grave on the 41st kilometre of the Leningrad Highway — exactly the place that saw the fierce fighting between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht troops during the Battle of Moscow in November−December 1941.
On December 3, 1966, at a mourning ceremony, the Unknown Soldier’s coffin was mounted on an armoured personnel vehicle with a red banner, which proceeded through Gorky Street (now Tverskaya Street) to the Alexander Garden under the sound of the military march.
In the Alexander Garden, the Unknown Soldier was met by members of the USSR leadership, as well as the legendary Marshals of the Soviet Union — Georgy Zhukovand Konstantin Rokossovsky.
On May 8, 1967, ahead of #VictoryDay, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was unveiled as a memorial architectural ensemble. Soviet newspapers reported back then: “He perished for his Motherland and for his home city of Moscow. That is all we know about him.”
The granite tombstone bears the famous inscription:“Your name is unknown. Your feat is immortal.”
The Eternal Flame was lit up near the Memorial.
💬 Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky:
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the walls of the Moscow Kremlin will immortalise the glorious heroes who perished on battlefields for their Motherland.
Now, the ashes of one of those who shielded Moscow from the enemy, are buried here.
***
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. Thanks to their efforts, Soviet-Russian military monuments and mass graves are maintained and restored in foreign countries.
❗️ Regrettably, as part of a disgraceful campaign to distort history of #WWII, a policy of state 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. With the consent of the official authorities there, vandals desecrate mass graves, the remains of perished soldiers are being barbarically exhumed for further “reburial” in designated places.
Thanks to joint efforts, including by our compatriots living abroad and concerned Europeans who are not indifferent to our common memory, the records of the monuments and graves, data and images, are uploaded to the special web-portal 'Mesto Pamyati' (A Place for Memory).
***
🎖 On November 4, 2014, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed the Federal Law on Amendments to the Federal Law 'On Days of Military Glory and Memorial Dates of Russia', to mark December 3 as the Day of the Unknown Soldier.
During World War II, engineers studied planes that returned from missions. They first thought the areas with the most bullet holes needed armor. Statistician Abraham Wald realized this was survivorship bias. Survivorship bias happens when you focus only on survivors and ignore failures.The undamaged areas on returning planes were actually the critical spots. Planes hit there did not survive. He recommended reinforcing those undamaged areas.
✈️📊🛡️
[Read more]
@googlefactss
#SurvivorshipBias#WWII#AbrahamWald#Planes#Statistics#History
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd U.S. President. He led the country through the Great Depression by creating jobs and helping people with new programs. He also guided the U.S. during World War II. FDR was the only president elected four times—last elected on November 7, 1944, and started his fourth term on January 20, 1945. After his presidency, the 22nd Amendment was passed, limiting presidents to two terms. 🇺🇸🗳️
[Read more]
@googlefactss
#FDR#USPresident#History#GreatDepression#WWII#22ndAmendment
Operation Osoaviakhim was a secret Soviet program after World War II. Over 2,500 German scientists, engineers, and technicians and their families were taken from the Soviet zone of Germany to the USSR.
They worked on Soviet military, weapons, and rocket technology. The goal was to use German expertise to strengthen the USSR and keep it from falling into Western hands.
Basically the Soviet version of operation Paperclip📎
🇷🇺🔬🚀
[Read more]
@googlefactss
#OperationOsoaviakhim#ColdWar#HistoryFacts#WWII#SovietUnion#Science#operationpaperclip
В День Победы 9 мая 2022 года впервые публикуем две работы арт-группы Doping Pong из нереализованного документального фильма о советских разведчиках в тылу врага.
DP, digital art, 2020
#dopingpong#деньпобеды#ww2#вов#post#soviet#art#spy#agent#разведчик#двойнойагент#history#victory
@RusEmbMalta
A series of press releases dedicated to 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War
🗓️80 Years Since the Historic Meeting on the Elbe
On April 25, 1945, just fifteen days before Nazi Germany’s surrender, Soviet and American troops met on the Elbe River, sealing one of the most symbolic moments of World War II. Soldiers of the Red Army’s 1st Ukrainian Front under Marshal Ivan Konev joined forces with the US 1st Army’s 69th and 104th Infantry Divisions led by General Omar Bradley.
This powerful encounter marked the imminent end of the war in Europe and gave birth to what would become known as the Spirit of the Elbe – a legacy of unity, courage, and hope for a peaceful future.
🕊️ On the 75th anniversary in 2020, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump paid tribute in a joint statement:
“The Spirit of the Elbe is an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause... Their heroic feat will never be forgotten.”
That day in 1945, language and cultural barriers faded as soldiers embraced, exchanged keepsakes, and celebrated together. A photo of Alexander Sylvashko and William Robertson became an icon of unity. Sylvashko would later reflect, “If that spirit had endured, the world might have been a better place.”
🕯️ Even through the Cold War, the veterans of the Elbe kept this spirit alive – a reminder of what’s possible when nations stand together against evil. In 1963, American veteran Joe Polowsky wrote to Marshal Konev:
“The promise made on April 25, 1945, must be upheld.”
📌 On this 80th anniversary, we honor the memory of that handshake on the Elbe – a symbol of allied brotherhood, a shared sacrifice, and a lasting hope for peace.
#Elbe80#SpiritOfTheElbe#WWII#Victory80#SharedHistory#RedArmy#NeverForget
#HistoryOfDiplomacy
8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on February 4, 1945, the Yalta (Crimea) Conference of the Allied leaders — Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D.Roosevelt officially opened.
#YaltaConference of the Anti-Hitler coalition leaders went down in history as one of the most significant and key international meetings of the 'Big Three' during #WWII. The Yalta talks became a symbol of successful cooperation between the Soviet Union, the US and the UK in the fight against the common enemy — Nazism.
The decisions taken at the Conference outlined the frame of the post-war #YaltaPotsdam international relations system, with the #UNCharter becoming its international legal basis.
***
By late 1944 — early 1945, the Red Army expelled the enemy from all the territory of the Soviet Union and proceeded with the operations aimed at liberating Europe from the Nazis.
🌟 In the first days of February 1945, the forces of the Red Army's 1st Byelorussian and the 1st Ukrainian Fronts successfully completed the Vistula-Oder Offensive, overcoming over 500 kilometres in less than a month (!), liberated Poland and then reached the border with Germany. Berlin was just 60 kilometres away. The collapse of the Third Reich was just a matter of time.
As the long-awaited common Allies' #Victory over Nazi Germany was as close as never, the future post-war world order-related issues needed to be discussed by the victorious great powers. While the Soviet forces were rapidly advancing in Eastern Europe in January, the preparations for the big negotiations to shape the future of the world were in full swing. Yalta, a Crimean city, was picked as the venue for that historic meeting (February 4-11, 1945).
The fate of post-war Germany was the key focus of the Yalta Conference. The Allies reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating German militarism and Nazism, and creating guarantees that “Germany would never be able again to disturb peace of the world.”
At the Yalta talks, the 'Big Three' managed to reach agreement on Poland’s post-war borders. The Soviet delegation consistently promoted the idea of ensuring the interests of the Poles and their fundamental right to independence and sovereignty. Winston Churchill, addressing the House of Commons upon his return from Yalta, on February 27, said: "If not for the prodigious exertions and sacrifices of Russia, Poland was doomed to utter destruction at the hands of the Germans. Not only Poland as a state and as a nation, but the Poles as a race were doomed by Hitler to be destroyed or reduced to a servile station".
The Yalta Conference resulted also in adopting of 'the Declaration of Free Europe' and other crucial international legal documents on the fundamental principles of the #UnitedNations, laying down the foundation of the Yalta-Potsdam international system.
☝️ The rapidly strengthening international posture and influence of the Soviet Union, bolstered by the outstanding achievements of the Red Army in the battlefields, had a significant impact on the course and the outcomes of the negotiations. By the time Europe was almost freed from the shackles of hitlerism, the Soviet soldier enjoyed the fame of liberator whose noble feat was well-known all across the continent.
The decisions of the Yalta Conference strengthened the anti-fascist coalition in the final stages of WWII and contributed to the Victory over Germany.
🎙 From a briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Saransk, January 31, 2025):
💬 "The participants in the Yalta Conference managed to overcome their differences, and, acting in the spirit of true solidarity, mutual respect and trust, abandoned their fleeting interests for the sake of defeating the common enemy and achieving a common victory, peace and freedom for all countries and peoples.
Unfortunately, much has changed since then. Now, multiple proponents of historical revisionism tend to falsify historical reality and associate the Yalta agreements with the split of Europe and the bloc confrontation of the post-war period."
#WeWereAllies
#HistoryOfDiplomacy
8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on February 4, 1945, the Yalta (Crimea) Conference of the Allied leaders — Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D.Roosevelt officially opened.
#YaltaConference of the Anti-Hitler coalition leaders went down in history as one of the most significant and key international meetings of the 'Big Three' during #WWII. The Yalta talks became a symbol of successful cooperation between the Soviet Union, the US and the UK in the fight against the common enemy — Nazism.
The decisions taken at the Conference outlined the frame of the post-war #YaltaPotsdam international relations system, with the #UNCharter becoming its international legal basis.
***
By late 1944 — early 1945, the Red Army expelled the enemy from all the territory of the Soviet Union and proceeded with the operations aimed at liberating Europe from the Nazis.
🌟 In the first days of February 1945, the forces of the Red Army's 1st Byelorussian and the 1st Ukrainian Fronts successfully completed the Vistula-Oder Offensive, overcoming over 500 kilometres in less than a month (!), liberated Poland and then reached the border with Germany. Berlin was just 60 kilometres away. The collapse of the Third Reich was just a matter of time.
As the long-awaited common Allies' #Victory over Nazi Germany was as close as never, the future post-war world order-related issues needed to be discussed by the victorious great powers. While the Soviet forces were rapidly advancing in Eastern Europe in January, the preparations for the big negotiations to shape the future of the world were in full swing. Yalta, a Crimean city, was picked as the venue for that historic meeting (February 4-11, 1945).
The fate of post-war Germany was the key focus of the Yalta Conference. The Allies reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating German militarism and Nazism, and creating guarantees that “Germany would never be able again to disturb peace of the world.”
At the Yalta talks, the 'Big Three' managed to reach agreement on Poland’s post-war borders. The Soviet delegation consistently promoted the idea of ensuring the interests of the Poles and their fundamental right to independence and sovereignty. Winston Churchill, addressing the House of Commons upon his return from Yalta, on February 27, said: "If not for the prodigious exertions and sacrifices of Russia, Poland was doomed to utter destruction at the hands of the Germans. Not only Poland as a state and as a nation, but the Poles as a race were doomed by Hitler to be destroyed or reduced to a servile station".
The Yalta Conference resulted also in adopting of 'the Declaration of Free Europe' and other crucial international legal documents on the fundamental principles of the #UnitedNations, laying down the foundation of the Yalta-Potsdam international system.
☝️ The rapidly strengthening international posture and influence of the Soviet Union, bolstered by the outstanding achievements of the Red Army in the battlefields, had a significant impact on the course and the outcomes of the negotiations. By the time Europe was almost freed from the shackles of hitlerism, the Soviet soldier enjoyed the fame of liberator whose noble feat was well-known all across the continent.
The decisions of the Yalta Conference strengthened the anti-fascist coalition in the final stages of WWII and contributed to the Victory over Germany.
🎙 From a briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Saransk, January 31, 2025):
💬 "The participants in the Yalta Conference managed to overcome their differences, and, acting in the spirit of true solidarity, mutual respect and trust, abandoned their fleeting interests for the sake of defeating the common enemy and achieving a common victory, peace and freedom for all countries and peoples.
Unfortunately, much has changed since then. Now, multiple proponents of historical revisionism tend to falsify historical reality and associate the Yalta agreements with the split of Europe and the bloc confrontation of the post-war period."
#WeWereAllies
#Victory80
🌟 February 2, 1943, one of the most brutal battles of #WWII and all of history — the Battle of Stalingrad — concluded.
For 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ days and nights the Battle of Stalingrad raged on the banks of the Don and the Volga rivers, and in the city proper, or rather what was left of it following merciless Nazi bombardments and stubborn defender fighting for every street, alley and house. The battle itself surpassed in scope and intensity all prior battles of #WWII. During that battle, more than 2.1 million people fought on both sides.
By the end of June 1942, the Nazis concentrated in the strip of land from Kursk to Taganrog on the front of 600-650 kilometers up to 35% of infantry, over 50% of armour and motorized divisions of the total number of Wehrmacht troops deployed on the Soviet-German front.
During the planning of the Stalingrad operation, the enemy had several objectives: to gain a foothold on the Volga River and thus deprive the #SovietUnion of control over one of the most important transportation arteries of the country. The capture of #Stalingrad, according to the assessment of the Nazi military command, would open the way for the Wehrmacht to the Caucasus, where the Germans hoped to obtain the most important resource for making the war machine continue — oil fields.
Traditionally, according to the historians, the Battle was divided into two stages:
• Defensive phase: from July 17 to November 18, 1942;
• Offensive phase: from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.
During the first stage, July 17 - November 18, 1942, the Red Army had to conduct defensive operations and engaged the enemy in fierce street battles directly in the city. The forces of the 62nd and 64th Soviet armies, led by Vassily Chuikov, commander of the 62nd Army, engaged the troops of the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht under the command of Lieutenant General Paulus.
By mid-November 1942, as a result of stubborn resistance and the deployment of the Red Army reserves favorable conditions were created for launching the counteroffensive. The plan for the operation code-named#Uranus was developed under the leadership of Army General Georgy Zhukov and Colonel General Alexander Vasilevsky.
During the large-scale counteroffensive at Stalingrad (November 19, 1942 — February 2, 1943), Soviet forces conducted the operation #Ring, during which the Red Army managed to drive Paulus's 6th Army into a “cauldron” between the Don and Volga rivers. Realizing the futility of further action, by the end of January the Nazi units began to surrender en masse.
On January, 31, General Paulus (promoted by Hitler to to General-Field Marshal), together with other German generals and officers at Stalingrad finally surrendered. OnFebruary 2, the last pockets of Nazi resistance were eliminated.
The #BattleOfStalingrad ended with a complete victory of the Red Army. For the first time ever the all-consuming Nazi war machine was weighed, measured and found wanting. This marked a turning point not only in the the Great Patriotic War, but that of the entire #WWII.
In Stalingrad, Wehrmacht and its auxiliary forces from the Axis lost 1/4 of all troops deployed by the Reich on the Eastern front. Total enemy losses amount to ~1.5 million soldiers and officers.
From that moment forward thestrategic initiative was on the side of the Red Army. The Victory in Stalingrad created favourable conditions for further full-scale counteroffensive of Soviet forces to expel the enemy from the Nazi-occupied territory of the USSR.
🌐 The defeat of the bulk of the enemy troops not only shocked the world and significantly raised the international prestige of the Soviet Union and its Armed Forces, but also contributed to the strengthening and tightening of the anti-Hitler coalition.
🎖 Victory in the Battle of Stalingrad was in large achieved through superior strategy and tactics, but also due to mass heroism of Soviet soldiers, officers and hard work of all those on the home front. 112 participants of the Battle were awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
#WeRemember
#HistoryOfDiplomacy
8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on February 4, 1945, the Yalta (Crimea) Conference of the Allied leaders — Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D.Roosevelt officially opened.
#YaltaConference of the Anti-Hitler coalition leaders went down in history as one of the most significant and key international meetings of the 'Big Three' during #WWII. The Yalta talks became a symbol of successful cooperation between the Soviet Union, the US and the UK in the fight against the common enemy — Nazism.
The decisions taken at the Conference outlined the frame of the post-war #YaltaPotsdam international relations system, with the #UNCharter becoming its international legal basis.
***
By late 1944 — early 1945, the Red Army expelled the enemy from all the territory of the Soviet Union and proceeded with the operations aimed at liberating Europe from the Nazis.
🌟 In the first days of February 1945, the forces of the Red Army's 1st Byelorussian and the 1st Ukrainian Fronts successfully completed the Vistula-Oder Offensive, overcoming over 500 kilometres in less than a month (!), liberated Poland and then reached the border with Germany. Berlin was just 60 kilometres away. The collapse of the Third Reich was just a matter of time.
As the long-awaited common Allies' #Victory over Nazi Germany was as close as never, the future post-war world order-related issues needed to be discussed by the victorious great powers. While the Soviet forces were rapidly advancing in Eastern Europe in January, the preparations for the big negotiations to shape the future of the world were in full swing. Yalta, a Crimean city, was picked as the venue for that historic meeting (February 4-11, 1945).
The fate of post-war Germany was the key focus of the Yalta Conference. The Allies reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating German militarism and Nazism, and creating guarantees that “Germany would never be able again to disturb peace of the
world.”
At the Yalta talks, the 'Big Three' managed to reach agreement on Poland’s post-war borders. The Soviet delegation consistently promoted the idea of ensuring the interests of the Poles and their fundamental right to independence and sovereignty. Winston Churchill, addressing the House of Commons upon his return from Yalta, on February 27, said: "If not for the prodigious exertions and sacrifices of Russia, Poland was doomed to utter destruction at the hands of the Germans. Not only Poland as a state and as a nation, but the Poles as a race were doomed by Hitler to be destroyed or reduced to a servile station".
The Yalta Conference resulted also in adopting of 'the Declaration of Free Europe' and other crucial international legal documents on the fundamental principles of the #UnitedNations, laying down the foundation of the Yalta-Potsdam international system.
☝️ The rapidly strengthening international posture and influence of the Soviet Union, bolstered by the outstanding achievements of the Red Army in the battlefields, had a significant impact on the course and the outcomes of the negotiations. By the time Europe was almost freed from the shackles of hitlerism, the Soviet soldier enjoyed the fame of liberator whose noble feat was well-known all across the continent.
The decisions of the Yalta Conference strengthened the anti-fascist coalition in the final stages of WWII and contributed to the Victory over Germany.
🎙 From a briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Saransk, January 31, 2025):
💬 "The participants in the Yalta Conference managed to overcome their differences, and, acting in the spirit of true solidarity, mutual respect and trust, abandoned their fleeting interests for the sake of defeating the common enemy and achieving a common victory, peace and freedom for all countries and peoples.
Unfortunately, much has changed since then. Now, multiple proponents of historical revisionism tend to falsify historical reality and associate the Yalta agreements with the split of Europe and the bloc confrontation of the post-war period."
#WeWereAllies
#HistoryOfDiplomacy
8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on February 4, 1945, the Yalta (Crimea) Conference of the Allied leaders — Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D.Roosevelt officially opened.
#YaltaConference of the Anti-Hitler coalition leaders went down in history as one of the most significant and key international meetings of the 'Big Three' during #WWII. The Yalta talks became a symbol of successful cooperation between the Soviet Union, the US and the UK in the fight against the common enemy — Nazism.
The decisions taken at the Conference outlined the frame of the post-war #YaltaPotsdam international relations system, with the #UNCharter becoming its international legal basis.
***
By late 1944 — early 1945, the Red Army expelled the enemy from all the territory of the Soviet Union and proceeded with the operations aimed at liberating Europe from the Nazis.
🌟 In the first days of February 1945, the forces of the Red Army's 1st Byelorussian and the 1st Ukrainian Fronts successfully completed the Vistula-Oder Offensive, overcoming over 500 kilometres in less than a month (!), liberated Poland and then reached the border with Germany. Berlin was just 60 kilometres away. The collapse of the Third Reich was just a matter of time.
As the long-awaited common Allies' #Victory over Nazi Germany was as close as never, the future post-war world order-related issues needed to be discussed by the victorious great powers. While the Soviet forces were rapidly advancing in Eastern Europe in January, the preparations for the big negotiations to shape the future of the world were in full swing. Yalta, a Crimean city, was picked as the venue for that historic meeting (February 4-11, 1945).
The fate of post-war Germany was the key focus of the Yalta Conference. The Allies reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating German militarism and Nazism, and creating guarantees that “Germany would never be able again to disturb peace of the world.”
At the Yalta talks, the 'Big Three' managed to reach agreement on Poland’s post-war borders. The Soviet delegation consistently promoted the idea of ensuring the interests of the Poles and their fundamental right to independence and sovereignty. Winston Churchill, addressing the House of Commons upon his return from Yalta, on February 27, said: "If not for the prodigious exertions and sacrifices of Russia, Poland was doomed to utter destruction at the hands of the Germans. Not only Poland as a state and as a nation, but the Poles as a race were doomed by Hitler to be destroyed or reduced to a servile station".
The Yalta Conference resulted also in adopting of 'the Declaration of Free Europe' and other crucial international legal documents on the fundamental principles of the #UnitedNations, laying down the foundation of the Yalta-Potsdam international system.
☝️ The rapidly strengthening international posture and influence of the Soviet Union, bolstered by the outstanding achievements of the Red Army in the battlefields, had a significant impact on the course and the outcomes of the negotiations. By the time Europe was almost freed from the shackles of hitlerism, the Soviet soldier enjoyed the fame of liberator whose noble feat was well-known all across the continent.
The decisions of the Yalta Conference strengthened the anti-fascist coalition in the final stages of WWII and contributed to the Victory over Germany.
🎙 From a briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Saransk, January 31, 2025):
💬 "The participants in the Yalta Conference managed to overcome their differences, and, acting in the spirit of true solidarity, mutual respect and trust, abandoned their fleeting interests for the sake of defeating the common enemy and achieving a common victory, peace and freedom for all countries and peoples.
Unfortunately, much has changed since then. Now, multiple proponents of historical revisionism tend to falsify historical reality and associate the Yalta agreements with the split of Europe and the bloc confrontation of the post-war period."
#WeWereAllies
🎙 Briefing by Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Moscow, November 14, 2025)
🔹#KievRegimeCrimes
🔹Ukraine crisis
🔹Moldovan government’s decision to denounce seven CIS agreements
🔹Developments in El Fasher, Sudan
🔹The US counter-narcotics policy in Latin America
🔹Anti-Russian conference in Dublin
🔹G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Canada
📰Read
📺Watch
#KievRegimeCrimes
The neo-Nazi regime in Kiev continues to terrorise civilians in Russia.
Over the past week, 53 Russian citizens suffered from artillery shelling and drone strikes, with 8 people killed and 45 injured, including six children.
Russian courts continue to hand down sentences to Ukrainian neo-Nazis and mercenaries. In absentia, mercenaries from Georgia, Colombia, and the Czech Republic who participated in combat on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been sentenced to 28, 13.5, and 13 years in prison.
#Ireland#EU#Militarisation
Militaristic rhetoric of the [Brussels bureaucracy] finds fertile ground in Dublin, where the ruling coalition <…> is pursuing a course to revise constitutional restrictions on the participation of Irish service members in overseas missions.
The Irish run the risk of becoming pawns in reckless geopolitical games of the Westerners (Anglo-Saxons), who are clearly acting against Russia, with all the negative consequences for [Ireland] that this entails.
#US#LatinAmerica
Since September 2025, we have been witnessing an unprecedented military campaign launched by Washington in Latin America under the pretext of allegedly combating drug-trafficking routes into the United States.
We are extremely concerned by the military methods chosen by the United States to address this issue, which amount to little more than blatant interference in the internal affairs of Latin American states.
We firmly oppose the use of force or the threat of force to interfere in internal affairs under various pretexts, including counter-narcotics operations.
#AxisJapan#WarCrimes#NoStatuteOfLimitations
We continue our work on disclosing information about the crimes of Japanese militarism.
We have repeatedly emphasised that these crimes have no statute of limitations. Procedural actions aimed at bringing all those responsible to justice continue to this day.
Between March and June, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation adopted decisions annulling the conclusions issued in the 1980s–2000s that had granted rehabilitation to 24 Japanese citizens.
Following the review of court rulings in cassation and supervisory instances, it was established that these individuals are not subject to rehabilitation. Their guilt has been fully proven.
#US#Tariffs
From an economic standpoint, the introduction of 500% tariffs on goods from third countries that purchase Russian oil and gas seems absurd.
This is tantamount to the discontinuation of all trade relations between countries, as such a tariff rate is prohibitive.
Russian energy resources are supplied to dozens of states around the world, including Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, China, and India. It is downright impossible to substitute such volumes of oil and natural gas on the global market within reasonable timeframes.
Those who call for [such measures] are likely unaware of the negative consequences this would have both for the United States itself and for the global economy as a whole. Moreover, such a step would be a gross violation of international trade law.