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#Victory81 🌟 On May 2, 1945, following an intense brutal battle for the Reichstag, won by the Soviet forces, and other major pockets of resistance in Berlin eliminated, including the Nazis defending the citadels of Spandau and Zoo-Bunker, the Red Army took control over the capital of the then nearly defunct Nazi Germany. The Battle of Berlin was concluded in a triumphant victory of the Soviet people over the ultimate evil of Nazism. The Third Reich was no more. *** By day's end of May 1 it was almost over for the Nazis — the #VictoryBanner soared over the Reichstag, the Red Army liberated Brandenburg, the districts of Charlottenburg, Schoeneberg and about a hundred more neighbourhoods in Berlin from the SS and Wehrmacht. The last remaining Nazi troops were concentrated in the government quarters of Berlin, near the Reich Chancellery. What little remained of the Berlin garrison started seeking ways to surrender to the Red Army, having realised that further resistance was futile. In the early hours of May 2, the Berlin defence headquarters sent the following radio message in the Russian and German languages: 📢 We will send parliamentarians to the Bismarckstrasse Bridge. We request a ceasefire. At 6:30 am, the Commander of the Berlin garrison, General of the Artillery HelmuthWeidlingsurrendered and ordered the remnants of the garrison to stop resisting. The centre of Berlin was completely cleared of the enemy by the evening. Soviet forces received 134'000 Nazi soldiers as POWs as they laid down weapons with only a few units fighting a lost battle to the bitter end. *** The Berlin Offensive lasted over a week, from April 24 through May 2. The last large concentration of Nazi troops, its best divisions and most heinous Nazi adepts engaged in fierce resistance. To no avail, as the Red Army, having already crushed and dismantled most of the once undefeated German war machine, was the best military force on the planet at the time. Following the fall of Berlin, only a few major Nazi units remained, prolonging their agony in Czechoslovakia and Austria. The #RedBanner reigning over the Reichstag had already become a part of history as an eternal symbol of the Soviet people’s greatest triumph in the fight against the Nazi evil. 📕 From the diaries of Soviet war correspondent and writer Konstantin Simonov (“Different Days of the War. A Writer’s Diary,” 1982): May 3. A dusty, sunny day. Several of our armies, having captured Berlin, are now moving through the city in different directions. Tanks, self-propelled guns, 'Katyushas', thousands of lorries, heavy and light artillery, anti-tank guns bouncing over the debris, infantry marching... <...> Even I have the feeling that it is not just divisions and corps entering Berlin, but that the whole of Russia is now passing through Berlin. 📄 From the TASS Frontline Bulletin of May 3, 1945, as reported by war correspondent KonstantinSukhin: The Victory Banner is soaring over the German Reichstag. <...> The BrandenburgGate can be seen from afar. It is barricaded with wooden bars, filled with broken bricks and chained with iron. The Germans wanted to stop our advancing units here. Now our tanks stand on both sides of the gate. The joy of victory can be seen on the faces of the Soviet soldiers — they have captured Berlin, the capital of Germany. What the heroes of the battles of Moscow, in besieged Leningrad, on the banks of the Volga, and in the ruined streets of Stalingraddreamed of and strived forbecame a reality. In terms of military strategy, Nazi Germany lost control over all its vital areas and lost even the slightest possibility to continue resistance. After the fall of Berlin, just a few major Nazi army groups were still resisting in Czechoslovakia and Austria, standing between the world and Victory. The final collapse of Nazism in Europe and the revenge on the Reich were imminent. #OurVictory#WeRemember

#Victory81 🌟 On May 1, 1945, during the fierce battle for the Reichstag, a Nazi symbol and citadel, the legendary #VictoryBanner was raised over Berlin, symbolising the great triumph of the Soviet Union and its peoples in the fight against Nazism. The legendary Red Banner №5, which became the famous Victory Banner, was raised over the dome of the defeated Reichstag by the 756th Rifle Regiment’s scouts, Sergeant Mikhail Yegorov & Junior Sergeant Meliton Kantariya. *** Before the crossing of the Spree River and launching the assault on the Reichstag, adecision was taken by the Soviet command for a group of Soviet soldiers to hoist the flag over the Reichstag, which would embody the final collapse of Nazism. 🚩 A total of 9 makeshift banners were promptly made, designed after the state flag of the USSR. Ultimately, a battle flag of the 150th Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Idritsa Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Striking Army of the 1st Belarusian Front, became the Victory Banner. On April 28, the fierce fighting for the Reichstag began, which the Nazis had turned into a fortified resistance point. It was defended by over a thousand men, including SS troops supported by artillery and armor. The former parliament building had been repurposed by the Nazis as a fortification and bomb shelter, which was considered by the Nazis as their main keep during the final days of #WW2. The surrounding areas such as Tiergarten, the BrandenburgGate and the square before it, became powerful defence points heavily guarded by the enemy. The Soviet command was sure — attacking the Reichstag, which served as a symbol of German Nazism, would especially affect morale of the enemy and eventually completely demoralize the fascists. • On April30at 1:50 p.m., a Red Army unit broke into the Reichstag through breaches in the walls, with a fierce close combat unleashing. The Nazis took advantage of effectively advancing inside the building they new well, throwing grenades at Soviet soldiers & firing back with machine-guns: they basically had nothing to lose. • At 2.25 p.m., Red Army soldiers Bulatov and Koshkarbayev placed a makeshift red flag to the column of the main entrance to the Reichstag — it was the first of the banners the liberators raised over the Reichstag. • At 10.30 p.m., sergeants Gizet Zagitov, Alexander Lisimenko & Alexey Bobrov as well as Sergeant Mikhail Minin supported by Captain Neustroyev’s battalion were the 1st to hoist a RedBannerontheroofoftheReichstag atop of the Goddess of Victory sculpture. The 3rdredbanner was raised on the westernfacadeoftheroof by the scouts of the 674th Regiment led by Lieutenant Sorokin. 🇷🇺In the early hours of May 1, finally, the Red Banner №5 was raised over the dome of the captured Reichstag by the 756th Rifle Regiment’s scouts, Sergeant Mikhail Yegorov & Junior Sergeant Meliton Kantariya, led by deputy battalion commander Lieutenant Alexey Berest, covered by riflemen from Ilya Syanov's squad. On May 2 at 6:30 am, Berlin defence commander, Nazi Artillery General HelmuthWeidling, surrendered and ordered the remaining troops of the Berlin Garrison to cease resistance. TheSoviet Victory Banner soaring over the defeated Reich entered history as a symbol of our Great Victory over the Nazi evil. 🎖 On June 9, 1945, the Medal for the Capture of Berlin was established and awarded to more than a million Soviet soldiers and officers who distinguished themselves in the final battle of #WWII. *** By a Presidential Executive Order of April 15, 1996, the Red Banner hoisted atop of the Reichstag by Yegorov & Kantariya was declared the symbol of the Soviet people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. #OurVictory#WeAreProud

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

#Victory81 🌟 On May 1, 1945, during the fierce battle for the Reichstag, a Nazi symbol and citadel, the legendary #VictoryBanner was raised over Berlin, symbolising the great triumph of the Soviet Union and its peoples in the fight against Nazism. The legendary Red Banner №5, which became the famous Victory Banner, was raised over the dome of the defeated Reichstag by the 756th Rifle Regiment’s scouts, Sergeant Mikhail Yegorov & Junior Sergeant Meliton Kantariya. *** Before the crossing of the Spree River and launching the assault on the Reichstag, adecision was taken by the Soviet command for a group of Soviet soldiers to hoist the flag over the Reichstag, which would embody the final collapse of Nazism. 🚩 A total of 9 makeshift banners were promptly made, designed after the state flag of the USSR. Ultimately, a battle flag of the 150th Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Idritsa Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Striking Army of the 1st Belarusian Front, became the Victory Banner. On April 28, the fierce fighting for the Reichstag began, which the Nazis had turned into a fortified resistance point. It was defended by over a thousand men, including SS troops supported by artillery and armor. The former parliament building had been repurposed by the Nazis as a fortification and bomb shelter, which was considered by the Nazis as their main keep during the final days of #WW2. The surrounding areas such as Tiergarten, the BrandenburgGate and the square before it, became powerful defence points heavily guarded by the enemy. The Soviet command was sure — attacking the Reichstag, which served as a symbol of German Nazism, would especially affect morale of the enemy and eventually completely demoralize the fascists. • On April30at 1:50 p.m., a Red Army unit broke into the Reichstag through breaches in the walls, with a fierce close combat unleashing. The Nazis took advantage of effectively advancing inside the building they new well, throwing grenades at Soviet soldiers & firing back with machine-guns: they basically had nothing to lose. • At 2.25 p.m., Red Army soldiers Bulatov and Koshkarbayev placed a makeshift red flag to the column of the main entrance to the Reichstag — it was the first of the banners the liberators raised over the Reichstag. • At 10.30 p.m., sergeants Gizet Zagitov, Alexander Lisimenko & Alexey Bobrov as well as Sergeant Mikhail Minin supported by Captain Neustroyev’s battalion were the 1st to hoist a RedBannerontheroofoftheReichstag atop of the Goddess of Victory sculpture. The 3rdredbanner was raised on the westernfacadeoftheroof by the scouts of the 674th Regiment led by Lieutenant Sorokin. 🇷🇺In the early hours of May 1, finally, the Red Banner №5 was raised over the dome of the captured Reichstag by the 756th Rifle Regiment’s scouts, Sergeant Mikhail Yegorov & Junior Sergeant Meliton Kantariya, led by deputy battalion commander Lieutenant Alexey Berest, covered by riflemen from Ilya Syanov's squad. On May 2 at 6:30 am, Berlin defence commander, Nazi Artillery General HelmuthWeidling, surrendered and ordered the remaining troops of the Berlin Garrison to cease resistance. TheSoviet Victory Banner soaring over the defeated Reich entered history as a symbol of our Great Victory over the Nazi evil. 🎖 On June 9, 1945, the Medal for the Capture of Berlin was established and awarded to more than a million Soviet soldiers and officers who distinguished themselves in the final battle of #WWII. *** By a Presidential Executive Order of April 15, 1996, the Red Banner hoisted atop of the Reichstag by Yegorov & Kantariya was declared the symbol of the Soviet people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. #OurVictory#WeAreProud

🎖️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

🚩The Immortal Regiment in Ethiopia 💐The 'Immortal Regiment' march took place at the Russian Embassy in Ethiopia, commemorating the 81st Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. More than 100 participants carried in their hands portraits of their relatives who crushed Nazism and sacrificed their lives in the name of defending our Motherland from this «brown plague». 🎗We bow our heads in the bright memory of those who defended our Motherland and gave us the opportunity to live. #Victory81#WeRemember

🎗 As part of the Embassy's ongoing memorial activities, Russian diplomats laid flowers on the graves of Soviet servicemen buried in Shaftesbury (Dorset), Tidworth (Wiltshire) and Aldershot (Hampshire). Such visits are conducted on a regular basis. Together with committed compatriots, we systematically inspect and help maintain military burial sites across the United Kingdom ensuring they are properly cared for. Preserving the memory of those who gave their lives in defence of the Motherland is not only our moral duty, but also a matter of historical justice — one that must remain above political expediency, particularly as we approach the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. #Victory81#WeRemember

#Victory81 🌟On April 17, 1944, the Battle for Right-Bank Soviet Ukraine concluded – also known as the Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive – one of the largest and longest campaigns of the Great Patriotic War. It lasted from December 24, 1943, to April 17, 1944. Vast forces were committed on both sides during the operation – around 4 million people in total. The troops of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts, commanded by Nikolay Vatutin, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky and Fyodor Tolbukhin, faced two German army groups – Army Group South and Army Group A. ☝️This was the only operation of the Great Patriotic War in which all six Soviet tank armies were advancing simultaneously. After the liberation of Kiev, the Nazis sought to hold on to Right-Bank Ukraine at any cost. This area was of crucial military and strategic importance to the Germans: losing it opened the way for the Red Army to the Carpathians, Moldova, Romania and onward to the Balkans. The enemy had concentrated over 1.7 million soldiers and officers, 16,800 guns and mortars, 2,200 tanks and assault guns, and around 1,500 aircraft on Right-Bank Ukraine. The Soviet High Command committed 2.3 million troops, 28,800 guns and mortars, over 2,000 tanks and self-propelled artillery systems, and 2,300 aircraft. *** The first offensive against the enemy was launched in late December 1943, when units of the 1st Ukrainian Front broke through German defences and liberated Korosten, Brusilov, Kazatin, Skvira and other towns and villages. On January 5, 1944, the 2nd Ukrainian Front went over to the offensive and by mid-January had liberated Kirovograd. In early February 1944, near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, Soviet troops encircled a large German grouping. All attempts to break out and relieve it were thwarted, and by February 17-18 the pocket had been eliminated. In the first half of February 1944, troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated Lutsk, Rovno and Shepetovka. At the same time, the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts smashed several major enemy groupings, liberating Apostolovo, Nikopol and Krivoy Rog. After Nikolay Vatutin was seriously wounded in a clash with Banderites, Georgy Zhukov took command of the 1st Ukrainian Front. On March 4, 1944, his troops resumed the offensive, liberated a number of cities and cut the key railway lines Ternopol-Proskurov and Lvov-Odessa. In April 1944, the Red Army fully liberated the Nikolayev and Odessa regions, as well as a significant part of Moldova. The 4th Ukrainian Front then commenced the operation to liberate Crimea. *** ⚔️The results of the Dnieper-Carpathian Operation were of exceptional military and strategic importance. Soviet troops advanced 250-450 kilometres deep into enemy-held territory and routed the southern wing of the German strategic front. The enemy suffered devastating losses: 10 divisions and 1 brigade were completely destroyed, while another 59 divisions, including 12 tank and 3 motorised divisions, lost between half and three-quarters of their personnel. Most of Right-Bank Ukraine was liberated: Khmelnytsky, Vinnitsa, Ternopol and Chernovtsy regions, parts of the Rovno and Ivano-Frankovsk regions. 57 major cities were freed from Nazi occupation. The Red Army’s advance to the borders of Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania became a major factor in the rise of the national liberation movements in those countries. The Nazis were later driven out of those territories through joint efforts, with Soviet troops playing the decisive role. The liberation of Right-Bank Ukraine ended the years of terror imposed by the Nazis and their loyal OUN-UPA nationalist accomplices. 🕯 According to various estimates, atrocities of the Nazi occupiers and nationalist punitive units on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR claimed the lives of around 4.5 million civilians. We honour their memory, as well as that of millions of other victims of the Soviet people murdered at the hands of Hitler’s executioners, on April 19 – the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People. #WeRemember