Russian MFA 🇷🇺

#FacesOfVictory 🌟 On April 30, 1945, just ten days before Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender, soldiers of the 674th Rifle Regiment of the 150th Rifle Division of the 1st Byelorussian Front, GrigoryBulatov and RakhimzhanKoshkarbayev, raised the first Red Banner on the facade of the Reichstag during the battle for the key Nazi citadel. The distance between Himmler’s house, where Bulatov and Koshkarbayev had been braking through to the Reichstag, was less than 500 metres. The fighting was so intense and fierce that it took our forces seven hours to reach the Reichstag walls. The Red Army soldiers pushed the Nazis back under barrage fire — they had to overcome numerous trenches and anti-tank fortifications. 💬 Excerpt from private RakhimzhanKoshkarbayev’s account of the battle for the Reichstag: Preliminary shelling commenced. As the first shots were fired, Bulatov and I ran to the Reichstag. I hoisted Bulatov up, supporting his legs, and we installed a flag right there, at the first-floor level. 🖋 The 150th Division’s military report: On April 30, 1945, at 2:25 pm, Koshkarbayev and Bulatov crawled to the building lobby and attached a red flag to the main staircase. The red flag installed by Bulatov and Koshkarbayev — the legendary makeshift flagpole — was the first of the banners raised on the Reichstag building by Soviet soldiers-liberators, marking the long-awaited and upcoming Victory in #WW2. 🎖 For their courage and heroism during the battle of the Reichstag, GrigoryBulatov and RakhimzhanKoshkarbayev were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Subsequently, the memorials were dedicated to the Heroes in their home regions: to GigoryBulatov in Kirov and to RakhimzhanKoshkarbayev in the Akmola Region of Kazakhstan and in the Republic’s capital, Astana. #Victory81#OurHeroes#WeAreProud

#FacesOfVictory 🗓 On April 5, 1923, Soviet fighter pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union Timur Frunze was born. The son of Mikhail Frunze, a renowned Soviet military leader, revolutionary, and prominent Civil War commander, Timur was destined for a military career from childhood. After losing his parents and grandmother early in life, he was taken under the care of Kliment Voroshilov, who served as People’s Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs of the Soviet Union. At the age of 10, Timur was enrolled in a specialised Air Forces school. Upon completing his studies there, he continued his training at the Myasnikov Kacha Red Banner Military Aviation School, which he graduated with honours in 1941 and was commissioned with the rank of lieutenant. ✍️ Timur’s teachers recognised both his determination and his natural ability. In a service review, his course director, Senior Lieutenant Nemykin, wrote: “I have never met a young man who so eagerly absorbed new knowledge. His interests extend far beyond the curriculum...” Beginning in 1938, Timur served in the Red Army. After he finished flight school in September 1941, Air Forces command initially intended to keep the young pilot away from the front lines so he could build experience in the rear. However, Frunze strongly insisted on being sent to the front. In December 1941, he was assigned to the 161st Fighter Aviation Regiment on the Soviet Northwestern Front, where he flew a Yak-1 fighter aircraft. During his service, Frunze completed nine combat missions, shooting down two enemy aircraft alone and one as a member of a two-person crew. 🕯 On January 19, 1942, his life was tragically cut short: at just 18 years old, Timur died in an unequal battle against seven enemy fighters. The Soviet pilot was buried with full military honours at the cemetery in the village of Kresttsy, Novgorod Region. After the war, his remains were reinterred at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. 🎖 On March 16, 1942, by an executive order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Lieutenant Timur Frunze was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. #Victory81#WeRemember

#FacesOfVictory 1️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ years ago – on March 30, 1901 – Major General Alexey Fyodorovwas born. A legendary Soviet partisan commander, one of the outstanding organisers of the resistance movement during the Great Patriotic War, a two-time Hero of the Soviet Union. Born into a peasant family in Lotsmanskaya Kamenka (near Dnepropetrovsk), he rose from a Red Army volunteer and Civil War veteran to become First Secretary of the Chernigov Regional Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of the Ukrainian SSR. After the Great Patriotic War began, when the enemy approached the Chernigov region in September 1941, Alexey Fyodorov took charge of the regional HQ of the partisan movement and of the local partisan formations. It was in those dark years that his exceptional talent as an organiser of underground resistance and his instinct as a military commander came fully to the fore, making him one of the architects of Soviet partisan warfare. 📄 From Order No. 1, approved by Alexey Fyodorov, of the regional HQ directing the partisan movement in the Chernigov region on organising the struggle against the Nazi occupiers and their accomplices (October 30, 1941): The bandit forces of German fascism, having invaded the territory of our sacred Soviet land, are carrying out mass terror with the help of contemptible nationalist scum – executions, violence, and the plunder of our people. I hereby order: 1. To establish a unified partisan detachment in the district from among Communists, Komsomol members, Soviet activists, collective farmers, and representatives of the intelligentsia. 2. The task is to destroy fascist railway trains, motor vehicles, and depots, and to wage an all-out struggle against the German occupiers. By March 1942 alone, the Chernigov partisan detachment under Fyodorov’s command had fought16 engagements, eliminating around 1,000 Hitlerite troops, destroying 33 road and railway bridges, derailing 5 enemy trains, and blowing up 5 depots and 2 factories. The Germans and their accomplices among the Ukrainian nationalists repeatedly tried to eradicate Fyodorov’s formation, even redeploying front-line units reinforced with armour and artillery for that purpose. 🎖 On May 18, 1942, for courage and heroism displayed in partisan struggle behind enemy lines against the German invaders, Alexey Fyodorov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, together with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. By early 1943, the formation under his command comprised 12 partisan detachments with a total strength of more than 5,000 fighters. From March to June 1943, it significantly expanded the zone of active operations behind enemy lines – across Belarus, as well as the Bryansk and Oryol Regions. 🥇 In April 1943, Alexey Fyodorov was promoted to the rank of Major General. During “Operation Kovel Junction” ( July 7, 1943 – March 14, 1944) his partisans destroyed 549 enemy trains with ammunition, fuel, military equipment and manpower. 🎖 For exemplary fulfilment of combat missions, heroism and bravery, Fyodorov was awarded a second Gold Star medal on January 4, 1944, becoming twice a Hero of the Soviet Union. In April 1944, Alexey Fyodorov was assigned to senior Party and state work. In his final post as Minister of Social Security of the Ukrainian SSR, he served for 22 years. His glorious wartime path was immortalised in his memoir The Underground Committee Carries On (1955), as well as in the multi-part film released in 1979 under the same title. 🕯 Alexey Fyodorov passed away on September 9, 1989. His memory was honoured throughout Ukraine in monuments, busts and memorial plaques. Regretfully, the descendants of those whom Alexey Fyodorov and his partisans fought are today trying to erase the name of this outstanding man from historical memory. The neo-Nazi Kiev regime is destroying monuments and other memorials to Soviet soldiers in an attempt to strip its people of their true history, their memory, and their Victory. ❗️But #WeRemember – and we will not allow the memory of our heroes to be desecrated.

#FacesOfVictory 🗓Marina Raskova, a legendary navigator, a symbol of courage and a source of inspiration for thousands of young women who dreamed of flying, was born on March 28, 1912. Her aviation career began in 1931, when she was hired as a draftswoman in the air navigation laboratory of the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy in Moscow. Marina was a technical assistant of the laboratory head, pilot Alexander Belyakov, and attended lectures at the academy, where she became keen on navigation, subsequently enrolling at the correspondence department of the Leningrad Institute of Aviation. ✈️ In 1934, she received the diploma of navigator, and a year later she learned to fly at the Central Flying Club in Moscow. She took part in flights since 1935, setting several world flight distance records. Her main achievement was the famous non-stop flight of the Rodina aircraft from Moscow to the Far East with an all-female crew, which made her a national celebrity. 🎖 In 1938, Marina Raskova, Valentina Grizodubova and Polina Osipenko became the first women to be awarded the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union for that flight. When the Great Patriotic War began in 1941, Raskova was instructed to establish female air force units. In October 1941, she created the night bomber aviation regiment that flew the U-2 (Polikarpov Po-2) aircraft, and a dive bomber regiment flying the Petlyakov Pe-2 planes. In December 1942, one of these regiments was deployed near Stalingrad, where fierce fighting was underway. The famous 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Regiment, which Raskova created, instilled uncontrollable fear in the Germans, who called it the Night Witches. 🕯 Marina Raskova did not take part in fighting. On January 4, 1943, her plane crashed on its way to the frontline near the village of Mikhailovka, Saratov Region, due to bad weather. The urn with her ashes was buried in the Kremlin Wall on Red Square in Moscow. #Victory81

#FacesOfVictory 🌟 On March 23, 1915, legendary Soviet sniper, one of the greatest shoots of #WWII & the Great Patriotic War, hero of Stalingrad, Vassily Zaitsev was born in the village of Yeleninka, Orenburg Region, the Russian Empire. In 1935, Vassily Zaitsev was drafted into the Red Army and assigned to the Navy. The war found him serving on the Pacific Fleet. Like most Soviet people he was eager to volunteer to the frontlines to fight the Nazis and defend the Motherland. The future hero of Stalingrad submitted five requests for transfer to active duty units in the European front. Finally, his wish was granted in the summer of 1942. In September 1942, Vassily arrived in Stalingrad as part of the 284th Rifle Division of the 62nd Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Vassily Chuikov. During the street battles for the city, he proved himself to be an outstanding marksman and was subsequently appointed as a sniper. Later, he was involved in the liberation of Donbass and the Battle of the Dnieper. In total, he eliminated 242 Nazi invaders. Zaitsev possessed exceptional eyesight and hearing, iron self-control, and a talent for improvisation. He developed the group hunting tactic using six-man teams and employed camouflage and decoys. “It is my passion to observe the enemy’s behaviour. You see a puffed up Nazi officer come out of a trench shelter. He looks arrogant and bosses his soldiers around with imperative gestures. They fulfil his will, his wishes and whims with strict accuracy. But he has no idea that his minutes are numbered,” Vasily wrote in his memoirs, No Land For Us Across The Volga. A masterful sniper, Zaitsev personally trained new shooters, who became known as Zaitchata (leverets). He taught them to change positions after two or three shots, disguise themselves thoroughly, and use decoys such as dummy soldiers to trick the enemy. Zaitsev’s main demand for his trainees was to think outside the box and improvise. 🎖 On February 22, 1943, Vassily Zaitsev was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title for personally training 28 snipers and killing 225 Nazi soldiers and officers during the street battles in Stalingrad between October 10 and December 17, 1942. Vassily Zaitsev died on December 15, 1991. In 2006, his remains were in a solemn ceremony moved to the site of the Stalingrad Battle at the Mamayev Kurgan. His famous sniper rifle is carefully preserved at the Museum-Reserve "Battle of Stalingrad" in Volgograd, available for all to see.

🥇 On February 14, 1942, Matvei Kuzmin, an 83-year-old peasant, accomplished a heroic feat as he repeated Ivan Susanin’s great deed and sacrificed his life for the Victory over the Nazi invaders. Matvei Kuzmin was born in the village of Kurakino, Velikiye Luki District in the Pskov Province. By the time the Great Patriotic War began, he was an expert tracker and fisherman, who perfectly knew the surrounding forests and trails. In early February 1942, after completing the Toropetsk-Kholm operation, units of the Soviet 3rd Assault Army took up defensive positions in the vicinity of Kuzmin’s native village. On February 13, a German battalion stationed in Kurakino planned to secretly reach the rear of the Soviet troops. The battalion commander demanded that Kuzmin be a guide and lead the unit to the village of Pershino taken by Soviet troops. Kuzmin agreed, but decided to use this opportunity to strike a blow against the enemy. He sent his son Vasily to warn the Red Army soldiers about the Germans’ plans and suggested setting up an ambush near the village of Malkino. On the night of February 14, Kuzmin led the German detachment along roundabout routes, deliberately slowing their advance. At dawn, he brought the enemy directly under the fire of Soviet troops from the 31st Separate Cadet Rifle Brigade. As a result of the surprise attack, the enemy battalion suffered heavy losses: many soldiers were killed, and the rest were taken prisoner. Realizing they had been deceived, the Germans shot Matvei Kuzmin on the spot. 🎖 Matvei Kuzmin’s heroic deed became legendary and was highly praised by his contemporaries: on May 9, 1965, he was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, which made him the oldest recipient of this honorary award in history. His name is immortalized in the names of streets, schools and monuments, and his heroic deed will forever remain a symbol of courage and dedication in the struggle for the Motherland. ℹ️ In memory of the partisan hero, a monument with the inscription “Hero of the Soviet Union Matvei Kuzmich Kuzmin” has been installed at the Partizanskaya metro station in Moscow. This is one of two sculptures at the station dedicated to the heroism of the Soviet partisans – the second one was erected in honour of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya. #FacesOfVictory

#FacesOfVictory ⚓️ On January 16, 1909, Boris Alexeev was born – commander of the S-33 submarine of the Black Sea Fleet, Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain 1st Rank, Candidate of Naval Sciences. From a young age, Boris Alexeev devoted his life to the sea – already at 14, he worked on vessels of the Volga-Caspian Shipping Company. In 1931, he graduated from the Baku Maritime Technical School and entered service in the USSR Navy. After completing submarine command courses in Leningrad, Alexeev first served with the Pacific Fleet and, from November 1939, with the Black Sea Fleet, where he met the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. ⚔️The defence of Sevastopol and the liberation of Crimea became key chapters of his combat record. Between 1941-1944, while commanding submarine S-33, Boris Alexeev carried out 18 combat patrols. Even when his submarine was undergoing repairs, he continued to fight the Nazi invaders. For instance, in the spring and summer of 1942, acting as the supporting commander of submarine S-31, he broke through to besieged Sevastopol – delivering ammunition and food and evacuating wounded and sick Red Army soldiers. In 1943-1944, S-33 conducted raids against enemy communications between Sevastopol and western Black Sea ports, as well as off the Crimean coast. The results of these operations were confirmed after the war: • April 20, 1943 – sank the Romanian transport Suceava; • September 22 and December 27, 1943 – destroyed two enemy transports by torpedoes, of approximately 6,000 and 4,000 tons; • May 12, 1944, off Cape Sarych – intercepted and sank an enemy landing barge, capturing the naval ensign of Nazi Germany. 💬 Excerpt from the award citation for Boris Alexeev (June 5, 1944): Captain 2nd Rank Alexeev completed 18 fully autonomous combat patrols during the Patriotic War. His combat record includes seven enemy ships sunk and one damaged. All attacks were conducted boldly and persistently, despite active countermeasures of the enemy escort. At sea, Captain 2nd Rank Alexeev constantly seeks out the enemy, finds him and delivers a devastating blow. Through his courage and determination, inflicting significant damage on the enemy, he has earned universal respect among the personnel of the submarine brigade. He is worthy of the title “Hero of the Soviet Union”. 🏅 On July 22, 1944, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Boris Alexeev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, and submarine S-33 was granted the Guards status. After the Victory, Boris Alexeev continued his exemplary service – commanding a submarine division of the Black Sea Fleet, graduating with honours from the Voroshilov Naval Academy and training new generations of submariners. He passed away on January 25, 1972, and was laid to rest at Serafimovskoe Cemetery. #Victory81