#WeRemember
🌟 On April 30, 1945, amid fierce battle for the Reichstag, — the legendary Heroic Feat was performed by a Red Army soldier, which entered history as the worldwide known and recognised symbol of the noble, great mission of the Soviet soldiers-liberators,who, selflesslyandfearlessly, at the cost of their lives, crushed Hitler's Germany and freed the peoples of Europe of the the Nazi scourge.
#OTD in 1945, Sergeant of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, Red Army soldier NikolayMasalov, despite the enormous danger and under enemy heavy fire, saved the life of a German girl, carrying her out of the shelling zone.
This honourable deed is immortalised in the figure of the Liberator Soldier memorial in Berlin — the iconic monument in #TreptowerPark, where over 7'000 Red Army soldiers, who fell during the fighting for the Third Reich’s capital, now rest in peace.
The central statue of this world-renowned memorial complex — a Soviet soldier carefully holding in hands a German girl — has become a symbol of the Great Victory of the Soviet people over the Nazi Germany.
💬 Maria Zakharova:
This memorial features the statue of a Soviet soldier holding a German girl — not a Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Tajik, Armenian, Azerbaijani, or Jewish girl, but a German girl.
This, I believe, represents the most accurate manifestation of humanism: a Soviet soldier is portrayed as a liberator, first and foremost of the German people from Nazism, even though his own family had been killed, his home destroyed, and his home towns and villages burned down. Yet he protects a German girl. <...>
And now they [the official authorities of Germany] are questioning if it is appropriate to commemorate and celebrate Victory Day at Treptower Park beside the statue of the Soldier holding a German girl.
They claim this contradicts the “quiet mourning” approach adopted by “civilised Europe.”
(Excerpt from the briefing by Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, April 24, 2026)
***
The History of the Feat
On the morning of April 30, 1945, during the artillery preparation preceding the advance of Soviet units towards a key German defence point in central Berlin — Tempelhof Airport — NikolayMasalov heard a child crying.
As Marshal Vasily Chuikov later recalled in his memoirs:
A child’s voice sounded as if from somewhere beneath the ground, muffled and imploring.
Crying, the child repeated just one word, understood by all — 'mutter', 'mutter'.
#Masalov resolutely rushed to help the child. Risking his life, the he crawled across a bridge over the Landwehr Canal and rescued a three-year-old girl who was sitting beside the body of her mother, killed by the Nazis.
Taking the girl into his arms, #Masalov began fighting his way back — the Germans were already pouring machine-gun fire onto the Soviet positions.
💬MarshalChuikov later recalled Masalov’s heroic deed as follows:
Thousands of guns and mortars were firing upon the enemy.
Thousands of shells and mines covered the Soviet soldier’s breakthrough from the death zone with a three-year-old German girl in his arms.
Nikolay Masalov himself never regarded his heroic feat as anything out of the ordinary; whenever he spoke of it, he was a man of few words:
💬 “I am a Russian soldier.
Anyone would’ve done the same in my place.”
#OurHeroes#Victory81
#WeRemember
🌟 On April 30, 1945, amid fierce battle for the Reichstag, — the legendary Heroic Feat was performed by a Red Army soldier, which entered history as the worldwide known and recognised symbol of the noble, great mission of the Soviet soldiers-liberators,who, selflesslyandfearlessly, at the cost of their lives, crushed Hitler's Germany and freed the peoples of Europe of the the Nazi scourge.
#OTD in 1945, Sergeant of the 79th Guards Rifle Division, Red Army soldier NikolayMasalov, despite the enormous danger and under enemy heavy fire, saved the life of a German girl, carrying her out of the shelling zone.
This honourable deed is immortalised in the figure of the Liberator Soldier memorial in Berlin — the iconic monument in #TreptowerPark, where over 7'000 Red Army soldiers, who fell during the fighting for the Third Reich’s capital, now rest in peace.
The central statue of this world-renowned memorial complex — a Soviet soldier carefully holding in hands a German girl — has become a symbol of the Great Victory of the Soviet people over the Nazi Germany.
💬 Maria Zakharova:
This memorial features the statue of a Soviet soldier holding a German girl — not a Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Tajik, Armenian, Azerbaijani, or Jewish girl, but a German girl.
This, I believe, represents the most accurate manifestation of humanism: a Soviet soldier is portrayed as a liberator, first and foremost of the German people from Nazism, even though his own family had been killed, his home destroyed, and his home towns and villages burned down. Yet he protects a German girl. <...>
And now they [the official authorities of Germany] are questioning if it is appropriate to commemorate and celebrate Victory Day at Treptower Park beside the statue of the Soldier holding a German girl.
They claim this contradicts the “quiet mourning” approach adopted by “civilised Europe.”
(Excerpt from the briefing by Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, April 24, 2026)
***
The History of the Feat
On the morning of April 30, 1945, during the artillery preparation preceding the advance of Soviet units towards a key German defence point in central Berlin — Tempelhof Airport — NikolayMasalov heard a child crying.
As Marshal Vasily Chuikov later recalled in his memoirs:
A child’s voice sounded as if from somewhere beneath the ground, muffled and imploring.
Crying, the child repeated just one word, understood by all — 'mutter', 'mutter'.
#Masalov resolutely rushed to help the child. Risking his life, the he crawled across a bridge over the Landwehr Canal and rescued a three-year-old girl who was sitting beside the body of her mother, killed by the Nazis.
Taking the girl into his arms, #Masalov began fighting his way back — the Germans were already pouring machine-gun fire onto the Soviet positions.
💬MarshalChuikov later recalled Masalov’s heroic deed as follows:
Thousands of guns and mortars were firing upon the enemy.
Thousands of shells and mines covered the Soviet soldier’s breakthrough from the death zone with a three-year-old German girl in his arms.
Nikolay Masalov himself never regarded his heroic feat as anything out of the ordinary; whenever he spoke of it, he was a man of few words:
💬 “I am a Russian soldier.
Anyone would’ve done the same in my place.”
#OurHeroes#Victory81
#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
🚀March 18 stands as one of the most significant dates in the history of space exploration – and in human history as a whole.
#OTD in 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first human ever to perform a spacewalk.
Stepping out of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft, piloted byPavel Belyaev, into near-Earth space, Leonov added yet another milestone to the achievements of national cosmonautics.
The extravehicular activity lasted 23 minutes and 41 seconds, including 12 minutes and 9 seconds spent in the vastness of open space.
💬 Recalling that historic moment while speaking from the Mausoleum rostrum in Moscow, Leonov said:
“As I exited the airlock, I felt an intense stream of light and heat, like the flare of electric welding. Above me was a black sky and bright, unblinking stars. The Sun looked like a blazing disc of fire”.
🎖 For the successful completion of the mission and the courage and heroism displayed, Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Leonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, along with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Today, spacewalks are an essential part of crewed missions to the International Space Station – enabling scientific research, maintenance work, installation of new equipment on the station’s exterior, deployment of small satellites, and much more.
All of this became possible thanks to the immense efforts and teamwork of Soviet specialists and enterprises, as well as the personal courage and outstanding training of our legendary pioneer cosmonauts.
#OurHeroes
🚀March 18 stands as one of the most significant dates in the history of space exploration – and in human history as a whole.
#OTD in 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first human ever to perform a spacewalk.
Stepping out of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft, piloted byPavel Belyaev, into near-Earth space, Leonov added yet another milestone to the achievements of national cosmonautics.
The extravehicular activity lasted 23 minutes and 41 seconds, including 12 minutes and 9 seconds spent in the vastness of open space.
💬 Recalling that historic moment while speaking from the Mausoleum rostrum in Moscow, Leonov said:
“As I exited the airlock, I felt an intense stream of light and heat, like the flare of electric welding. Above me was a black sky and bright, unblinking stars. The Sun looked like a blazing disc of fire”.
🎖 For the successful completion of the mission and the courage and heroism displayed, Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Leonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, along with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Today, spacewalks are an essential part of crewed missions to the International Space Station – enabling scientific research, maintenance work, installation of new equipment on the station’s exterior, deployment of small satellites, and much more.
All of this became possible thanks to the immense efforts and teamwork of Soviet specialists and enterprises, as well as the personal courage and outstanding training of our legendary pioneer cosmonauts.
#OurHeroes
🚀March 18 stands as one of the most significant dates in the history of space exploration – and in human history as a whole.
#OTD in 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first human ever to perform a spacewalk.
Stepping out of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft, piloted byPavel Belyaev, into near-Earth space, Leonov added yet another milestone to the achievements of national cosmonautics.
The extravehicular activity lasted 23 minutes and 41 seconds, including 12 minutes and 9 seconds spent in the vastness of open space.
💬 Recalling that historic moment while speaking from the Mausoleum rostrum in Moscow, Leonov said:
“As I exited the airlock, I felt an intense stream of light and heat, like the flare of electric welding. Above me was a black sky and bright, unblinking stars. The Sun looked like a blazing disc of fire”.
🎖 For the successful completion of the mission and the courage and heroism displayed, Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Leonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, along with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Today, spacewalks are an essential part of crewed missions to the International Space Station – enabling scientific research, maintenance work, installation of new equipment on the station’s exterior, deployment of small satellites, and much more.
All of this became possible thanks to the immense efforts and teamwork of Soviet specialists and enterprises, as well as the personal courage and outstanding training of our legendary pioneer cosmonauts.
#OurHeroes
🚀March 18 stands as one of the most significant dates in the history of space exploration – and in human history as a whole.
#OTD in 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first human ever to perform a spacewalk.
Stepping out of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft, piloted byPavel Belyaev, into near-Earth space, Leonov added yet another milestone to the achievements of national cosmonautics.
The extravehicular activity lasted 23 minutes and 41 seconds, including 12 minutes and 9 seconds spent in the vastness of open space.
💬 Recalling that historic moment while speaking from the Mausoleum rostrum in Moscow, Leonov said:
“As I exited the airlock, I felt an intense stream of light and heat, like the flare of electric welding. Above me was a black sky and bright, unblinking stars. The Sun looked like a blazing disc of fire”.
🎖 For the successful completion of the mission and the courage and heroism displayed, Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Leonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, along with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Today, spacewalks are an essential part of crewed missions to the International Space Station – enabling scientific research, maintenance work, installation of new equipment on the station’s exterior, deployment of small satellites, and much more.
All of this became possible thanks to the immense efforts and teamwork of Soviet specialists and enterprises, as well as the personal courage and outstanding training of our legendary pioneer cosmonauts.
#OurHeroes
Khatyn Massacre
8️⃣3️⃣ years ago, in Nazi-occupied Belarus, an entire village was wiped out.
149 people were burned alive. 75 of them were children.
This atrocity was carried out by Ukrainian collaborators under German command (the 118th Schutzmannschaft Battalion and the SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger).
🇨🇦Canada gave asylum to two Nazi butchers of Khatyn: Joseph Vinnitskii and Vladimir Katriuk.
❗️They were never held accountable for their crimes and died in peace.
Memory cannot be selective.
No one is forgotten! Nothing is forgotten!
#Victory81#WeRemember
#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.
#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.
🔥 In anticipation of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Belgium and the Permanent Mission of Russia to the European Union, together with staff of the Russian House in Brussels, began holding a series of traditional memorial events at the graves of Soviet soldiers and citizens throughout the Kingdom.
🧧On May 5 of this year, A flower-laying ceremony was held at the graves of Soviet citizens buried in the cemeteries of Peysan, Kevi, and Chime.
🧧On May 8 of this year, staff of the Russian House in Brussels, as well as activists of the Russian compatriots movement, visited the cemetery of the Brussels commune of Ixelles and laid flowers at the grave of the legendary participant in the Belgian Resistance movement, Marina Shafrova-Marutaeva.
🎗Marina Shafrova-Marutaeva actively participated in the underground struggle against the Nazi invaders and was nicknamed the "Belgian Joan of Arc" for her heroic deeds.
Commemorative events in Belgium will be held throughout May.
#Victory81#WeRemember
🇫🇷🎗 Paris honors Russian participants in the French Resistance
🗓 On May 7, on the eve of Victory Day, Russian Ambassador to France A.Yu. Meshkov, accompanied by the military attaché, laid a wreath at the monument to Russian participants in the French Resistance, located in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
🌺 The ceremony was attended by Russia's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, R.Zh. Alyautdinov, the leadership of the Russian House of Science and Culture in Paris (RDNC) and the Russian Trade Mission in France, as well as concerned French and Russian compatriots.
"To date, 180,000 Soviet citizens and people from the former Russian Empire who participated in the anti-fascist Resistance have been identified. We remember each of them. And this monument is dedicated to a famous soldier, a Russian participant in the French Resistance," A.Yu. Meshkov emphasized in his speech.
🎼 Performances by students of the children's musical theater "Gameins" and the grandson of a Resistance participant, actor and public figure Guillaume Rath, added a special solemnity and touching touch to the event. They performed the anthem of the French Resistance, "Song of the Partisans," as well as the famous Soviet composition "We Need One Victory."
#Victory81#WeRemember
🎖️On 9 May 2026, to mark the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, a ceremony was held at the communal cemetery in Evere, Brussels, where wreaths were laid at the memorials of Soviet citizens who fell in the struggle against Nazism, as well as of members of the Belgian Resistance. The event was attended by Ambassador of Russia to the Kingdom of Belgium Denis Gonchar, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Russia to the EU and Euratom Karen Malayan, heads of diplomatic missions of CIS Member States and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Archdiocese of Brussels and Belgium. The participants of the ceremony honoured the memory of the fallen heroes and paid tribute to the heroic act of those who liberated Europe.
The staff of the Permanent Mission of Russia to the EU traditionally joined the annual nationwide Immortal Regiment campaign by organizing an exhibition featuring the photographs of relatives who took part in the Great Patriotic War.
❗Preserving and protecting the historical memory have always been and remain among the key priorities of the military memorial work of Russian diplomatic missions. Commemorative events with the participation of Russian diplomats are also taking place in other Belgian towns where burial sites of Soviet soldiers are located.
Eternal memory and glory to the Soviet soldiers who bravely fought for the Great Victory and to all those who struggled for a world free from fascism.
No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten!
#Victory81#WeRemember