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🗓 On April 25, 2025, a solemn ceremony to lay flowers and wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was held in Alexander Garden, attended by members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Moscow, senior officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and representatives of the Ministry’s veterans’ organisations. Over 150 foreign ambassadors and diplomats participated in the ceremony, honouring those who fell in the struggle against Nazism. 🕯 Attendees paid tribute to the heroism and self-sacrifice of soldiers who did not return from the battlefield, observing a minute of silence. The broad participation of representatives from foreign states in this ceremony unequivocally demonstrated that the valiant deeds of the heroes who saved the world from the fascist menace remain remembered and revered globally. 📹Watch the wreath-laying ceremony #WeRemember#TheSovietSoldierSavedTheWorld#Victory80#LestWeForget

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

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

Каждый год в Русском доме в Брюсселе проходит международная просветительско-патриотическая акция «Диктант Победы», посвящённая Победе в Великой Отечественной войне и окончанию IIMB🕊️ В этом году мероприятие было приурочено к 80-летию Великой Победы и объединило более 2 миллионов участников из 90 стран мира! В Брюсселе диктант собрал более 50участников — соотечественников, бельгийцев, педагогов и учеников, любителей истории из столицы и других городов Бельгии. Перед началом с видеоприветствием выступил глава Россотрудничества Е.А. Примаков. «Было интересно и познавательно. Мы готовимся к диктанту каждый год, читаем книги, смотрим фильмы», — поделились впечатлением участники акции. Спасибо всем, кто присоединился! #ДиктантПобеды#РусскийДомБрюссель#80летПобеды#WWII#SecondWorldWar #ВОВ#ДеньПобеды#ЧтобыПомнили#VictoryDay#9May#9Mai#9Мая

⚔️April 25, 1945 – the #ElbeDay – a memorable date in Russia’s military history. Around midday, by the town of Torgau on the Elbe River, Soviet troops advancing into Germany linked up for the first time with American forces. That moment marked the high point of relations between the USSR and the US during the Second World War. The Soviet unit was led by Senior Lieutenant Grigory Goloborodko, while the American patrol that crossed the Elbe was commanded by First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue. 🤝 The handshake between the two lieutenants made headlines around the world and became one of the defining images of the Allied #Victory over Nazism. One of the direct participants in that first meeting, US Army Private Joe Polowsky, later recalled: “There were tears in our eyes. It was a moment of joy, but also, perhaps, a moment in which some already sensed that the future would not be without difficulties”. The soldiers embraced and vowed never to forget that meeting. It came to symbolise what would later be known as the Spirit of the Elbe. 🎥©Russian Military Historical Society #Victory81#WeWereAllies

#Victory81 🌟 On April 11, 1944, during the Crimean offensive operation, Soviet forces liberated #Kerch from Nazi occupiers. Kerch was among the first cities to endure assaults from Hitler’s army at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It found itself repeatedly on the front line, with the battlefront cutting through its very streets. Moreover, the city fell under enemy occupation twice. Initially captured in November 1941, Kerch was liberated barely a month later in December, following the Kerch–Feodosia amphibious landing operation. In the spring of 1942, the enemy amassed significant forces on the Kerch Peninsula and launched a renewed offensive. Despite the valiant resistance by the defenders, the city once again came under fascist control, remaining occupied for 320 days. During that period, approximately 15,000 civilians lost their lives, and over 14,000 individuals were forcibly deported to Germany for slave labour. 🕯#NoStatuteOfLimitations: The Bagerovo Ditch near Kerch gained tragic notoriety – a site of mass executions. Towards the end of 1941, around 7,000 people were executed and tortured there, including 245 schoolchildren. The Germans surreptitiously removed the children from the city and poisoned them with potassium cyanide. The Nazi occupiers obliterated every factory, burned bridges and vessels, destroyed parks, and decimated the city’s infrastructure. Kerch was almost completely erased from the map. One of the war’s most heroic episodes was the defence of the Adzhimushkay quarry. Thousands of civilians – elderly people, women, and children – sought refuge within the underground passages. The enemy attempted to exterminate them by sealing the entrances and using explosives and toxic substances. Nearly all the defenders perished, yet they continued to resist to the very end, rendering the quarry a symbol of unyielding courage and resilience. ⚔️ On the night of November 1, 1943, the Kerch-Eltigen amphibious landing operation commenced. Soviet forces established a bridgehead north of the city, marking a crucial phase in liberating the Kerch Strait and the entire Crimea. In the spring of 1944, this success was solidified during the Crimean offensive operation, culminating in the expulsion of the occupiers from the peninsula. One of Kerch’s principal symbols became the Obelisk of Glory on Mount Mithridat, unveiled on August 8, 1944 – the first monument in the USSR dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. 🎖 For the defence and liberation of the city, 153 individuals were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and 21 military units and formations received the honorary designation “Kerch.” On September 14, 1973, Kerch was awarded the title #HeroCity.

🗓 On September 7, 1945, a military parade of the allied forces of the #USSR, US, UK and France took place in Berlin near the walls of the defeated Reichstag on Alexanderplatz Square, marking the end of #WWII. The location of the parade – at the Brandenburg Gate, at the very heart of the German capital – was not chosen by chance. It was right here where the Battle of Berlin ended and the remnants of the Berlin group of German troops surrendered to the Red Army. Scheduled for September 7, the parade was timed to coincide with the victory over militaristic Japan. Representatives of the allied powers responded positively to Moscow's proposal to hold a joint parade in Berlin. However, on the eve of the event, after the date and all the details had been agreed upon, the US, UK and France announced that instead of the commanders-in-chief – Eisenhower, Montgomery and Tassigny – they would send lower-ranking generals, who were already stationed in Germany, to the parade. By doing so, the allies tried to downplay the significance of the parde, which emphasized the decisive role of the Soviet Union in taking Berlin. At that time, no one doubted who bore the brunt of the storming of the capital of the Third Reich. 🇷🇺 The USSR carried out thorough preparations for the parade. The Soviet command enlisted the Red Army's most distinguished soldiers, sergeants, officers and generals who had shown unrivalled courage in taking Berlin and the main centers of the reich – the Reichstag and the Imperial Chancellery. 🎖On September 7 at 11 am, the Berlin allied parade commenced. It was received by the Commander of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany Georgy Zhukov. The parade was opened by the combined regiment of the 248th Rifle Division of the Red Army, led by Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Lenev. The parade was closed by a column of the Soviet armor, with the latest heavy tanks IS-3 ("Joseph Stalin") marching. #WeWereAllies 💬 In his welcoming speech to the participants of the parade, Marshal Zhukov paid tribute to the exploits of the Soviet and Allied forces in the struggle for victory over Nazi Germany: Fighting friends, comrades in arms, soldiers, officers and generals... <...> The Second World War ended with a decisive and powerful strike from the great allied powers. Our victory is a triumph of an unprecedented military partnership of democratic states. From now on, people <...> will be eternally grateful to the great nations of America, England, the Soviet Union, the French Republic and China, to their valiant soldiers who, in the difficult time of military trials, gave each other helping hands, united to win a victory over a common enemy, to win the long-awaited peace on Earth. #Victory80#WeRemember

#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

🎖Στις 10 Απριλίου 1944, τα σοβιετικά στρατεύματα απελευθέρωσαν την Οδησσό από τη γερμανοφασιστική κατοχή. Τον Ιούλιο του 1941, το μέτωπο πλησίασε την πόλη της Οδησσού. Στις 5 Αυγούστου, η Ανώτατη Σοβιετική Διοίκηση εξέδωσε διαταγή: «Η Οδησσός να μην παραδοθεί και να αμυνθεί μέχρι την ύστατη δυνατότητα, με τη συμμετοχή του Στόλου της Μαύρης Θάλασσας». Η κατοχή διήρκεσε 907 ημέρες. Τα σοβιετικά στρατεύματα επέδειξαν εξαιρετικό ηρωισμό στον αγώνα για την απελευθέρωση της πόλης. Χιλιάδες κάτοικοι συμμετείχαν ενεργά στην άμυνα, σκάβοντας χαρακώματα, κατασκευάζοντας αντιαρματικές τάφρους και τοποθετώντας συρματοπλέγματα. Ο εχθρός ηττήθηκε στο πλαίσιο της Επιχείρησης της Οδησσού, η οποία διεξήχθη από τις δυνάμεις του 3ου Ουκρανικού Μετώπου μεταξύ 26 Μαρτίου και 14 Απριλίου 1944. Κατά τη διάρκεια της κατοχής, 82.000 κάτοικοι της Οδησσού σκοτώθηκαν, ενώ 78.000 άνθρωποι μεταφέρθηκαν βίαια για καταναγκαστική εργασία στη Γερμανία. Στην επιχείρηση απελευθέρωσης της πόλης, ο εχθρός υπέστη απώλειες άνω των 27.000 νεκρών, 11.000 αιχμαλώτων, καθώς και την απώλεια 443 αρμάτων μάχης και αυτοκινούμενων πυροβόλων, και 95 αποθηκών με πολεμοφόδια και τρόφιμα. Σύμβολο της απελευθέρωσης έγινε η κόκκινη σημαία που υψώθηκε πάνω από το Θέατρο της Όπερας της Οδησσού. #Νίκη80#Θυμόμαστε#ΜνήμηΤηςΝίκης#WeRemember @rossotrudnichestvo@rusembgreece@sootechestvennikigreece@MID_Russia https://t.me/RussianHouseAthens/6764

#Victory80 🎖#OnThisDay in 1942, one of the largest-ever and most brutal battles of #WWII and all of history — the #BattleOfStalingrad— commenced. It lasted for 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣days and nights, surpassing in scope and intensity all previous battles. The Battle of Stalingrad was waged for every street, every house, every metre of ground. At various stages, over 2,1 million people from both sides were engaged in the combat. The Nazis attempted in vain to break the morale of Stalingrad’s defenders and residents — but Stalingrad stood firm and triumphed. *** The defeat of Hitler’s forces near Moscow in December 1941 thwarted the original plans of the Nazi command for a blitzkrieg — a rapid advance of the Wehrmacht deep into Soviet territory, with the aim of seizing the strategically vital southern regions of the USSR, including the oil-rich Caucasus. But the Reich persisted, adhering to the original concept of its general strategy. In the summer of 1942, the Nazi invaders launched a large-scale offensive on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front. This time, the enemy’s target was Stalingrad — a crucial industrial and transport hub on the Volga. Had the Nazis succeeded, they would have seized the fertile grain-producing regions of Kuban and Stavropol, breached the Caucasus, and captured its oil fields — an essential resource for their war effort. The Nazis sought to seize the initiative and bring the war to an end on their terms. Friedrich Paulus, one of the chief architects of Nazi Germany’s invasion plan against the USSR, was tasked with the command of the offensive on Stalingrad. ⚔️ The defence of Stalingrad began on July 17. The city’s defenders faced the full might of the fascist war machine — the enemy hurled between 40 and 80 divisions into the combat. The bloodshed continued without respite, raging days and nights all around the clock. By August, forces of the Stalingrad Front had to retreat to the Don’s left bank and fortify positions on the city’s outer defensive line. Amid these dire circumstances, on July 28, 1942, Supreme High Command Order No. 227 was issued to the defenders of Stalingrad and other fronts. It laid bare the real situation on the front with unflinching clarity: <...> “To retreat further means to doom ourselves and to doom our Motherland. Every scrap of territory we yield will strengthen the enemy and weaken our defence, our Motherland... Hence, the retreat must end. NOT A STEP BACK! This must now be our rallying cry. Henceforth, the iron law of discipline for every commander, Red Army soldier, and political officer must be the demand — NOT A STEP BACK WITHOUT ORDERS FROM HIGHER COMMAND... Such is the call of our Motherland.” <...> The Red Army was forced into defensive operations and fierce urban combat. Among the architects of the Stalingrad victory there was General Vassily Chuikov, commander of the 62nd Army — a legendary strategist who perfected the tactics of assault groups, which became pivotal to the Soviet triumph in Stalingrad. By mid-November 1942, following fierce resistance against the enemy and the deployment of additional reserves through tactical regrouping, favourable conditions had emerged for the Red Army to launch a counter-offensive. Between November 19, 1942 and February 2, 1943, Soviet forces performed Operation 'Ring', having successfully encircled Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus’s 6th Army in a cauldron between the Don and Volga rivers. On January 31, Field Marshal Paulus, along with his staff officers and generals, capitulated. By February 2, the last pockets of German resistance had been eradicated, and military formations of Germany’s ‘axis’ allies were destroyed. 🏅The Battle of Stalingrad ended with a resounding victory for the Red Army and the entire Soviet people. The triumph at Stalingrad marked the beginning of a decisive radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War and World War II, with the strategic initiative being gained entirely by the Soviet Union. #WeRemember

🗓 On September 7, 1945, a military parade of the allied forces of the #USSR, US, UK and France took place in Berlin near the walls of the defeated Reichstag on Alexanderplatz Square, marking the end of #WWII. The location of the parade – at the Brandenburg Gate, at the very heart of the German capital – was not chosen by chance. It was right here where the Battle of Berlin ended and the remnants of the Berlin group of German troops surrendered to the Red Army. Scheduled for September 7, the parade was timed to coincide with the victory over militaristic Japan. Representatives of the allied powers responded positively to Moscow's proposal to hold a joint parade in Berlin. However, on the eve of the event, after the date and all the details had been agreed upon, the US, UK and France announced that instead of the commanders-in-chief – Eisenhower, Montgomery and Tassigny – they would send lower-ranking generals, who were already stationed in Germany, to the parade. By doing so, the allies tried to downplay the significance of the parde, which emphasized the decisive role of the Soviet Union in taking Berlin. At that time, no one doubted who bore the brunt of the storming of the capital of the Third Reich. 🇷🇺 The USSR carried out thorough preparations for the parade. The Soviet command enlisted the Red Army's most distinguished soldiers, sergeants, officers and generals who had shown unrivalled courage in taking Berlin and the main centers of the reich – the Reichstag and the Imperial Chancellery. 🎖On September 7 at 11 am, the Berlin allied parade commenced. It was received by the Commander of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany Georgy Zhukov. The parade was opened by the combined regiment of the 248th Rifle Division of the Red Army, led by Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Lenev. The parade was closed by a column of the Soviet armor, with the latest heavy tanks IS-3 ("Joseph Stalin") marching. #WeWereAllies 💬 In his welcoming speech to the participants of the parade, Marshal Zhukov paid tribute to the exploits of the Soviet and Allied forces in the struggle for victory over Nazi Germany: Fighting friends, comrades in arms, soldiers, officers and generals... <...> The Second World War ended with a decisive and powerful strike from the great allied powers. Our victory is a triumph of an unprecedented military partnership of democratic states. From now on, people <...> will be eternally grateful to the great nations of America, England, the Soviet Union, the French Republic and China, to their valiant soldiers who, in the difficult time of military trials, gave each other helping hands, united to win a victory over a common enemy, to win the long-awaited peace on Earth. #Victory80#WeRemember

🇷🇺🇵🇦 March 29 marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relationsbetween Russia and Panama Bilateral ties have a much longer history though: consular and trade relations were first established in November 1903, when the Russian Empire recognised the independence of the Central American state almost immediately after it was declared. Following the formation of the USSR, Panama closed its existing consulates in our country, although the two nations continued to maintain diverse and mutually beneficial cooperation. During World War II, Panama joined the Allied Powers, demonstrating solidarity in the fight against Nazism. #Victory81: One of the most significant episodes in the history of bilateral relations was the passage of a Soviet submarine squadron through the Panama Canal in November-December 1942. The aim was to help protect the Allied Arctic convoys, which supplied military equipment and goods to the USSR via the North Atlantic under the Lend-Lease programme. This support underscored the friendly and cooperative relations between the USSR and Panama, as well as their unity in the shared fight against Nazism. 🤝 Today, cooperation between our countries is grounded in the provisions of the 1997 Treaty on the Principles of Relations and Cooperation, as well as the preceding Declaration of the same name signed in 1994 during a visit to Moscow by Panama’s Foreign Minister José Raúl Mulino, who now serves as the country’s President. #Panamais a promising trade and economic partner for Russia, with its unique geographical location and well-developed trade and financial infrastructure. 💬 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova during her weekly briefing (March 25, 2026): “The Russian-Panamanian ties have much potential. Its implementation is consistently achieved through a constructive political dialogue, promotion of inter-parliamentary and inter-agency contacts, and expansion of scientific, educational and academic exchanges and cultural-humanitarian cooperation as a whole.” 🎉 Congratulations to our colleagues and the people of Panama on this shared occasion! We wish you well-being, prosperity, and success. #RussiaPanama#RussiaLatinAmerica