Russian Consulate in Cape Town

#Victory80 🌟 On August 5, 1941, the heroic defence of Odessa — the operation of the Red Army and the USSR’s Black Sea Fleet to defend the city from the Nazi invaders during #WWII. In the early days of Germany's aggression against the Soviet Union, Odessa and its suburbs became the frontline. By early August 1941, the enemy troops encircled the city; its glorious and heroic defence lasted for 73 days. Hitler wanted his forces to break through the Soviet defence lines along the Dniester and seize Odessa. Romanian and German troops mounted their first assault against the city on August 20, 1941, but the Red Army managed to stop the enemy offensive (17 divisions and 7 brigades) and keep them at a distance of 10 to 14 kilometres from the city’s outskirts. Up to 100'000 Odessa residents contributed to preparing the city to fight against the Nazis. Home front workers, including women and teenagers, put enormous efforts every day to build defensive structures: digging trenches, installing barbwire, and erecting barricades. The city’s defenders planted 40'000 mines and dug over 250 kilometres of anti-tank ditches. Almost 38'000 Odessa residents moved to the catacombs to launch a resistance movement behind the Nazi lines. The partisans destroyed 5'000 enemy soldiers and officers, derailed 27 enemy trains carrying military assets, and bombed 248 vehicles. Although the enemy outnumbered Odessa’s defenders, they deterred the Nazi invasion for two months. Owing to their courageous efforts, the Supreme High Command managed to redeploy substantial military forces and equipment to defend Crimea and Sevastopol — Black Sea Fleet’s base. According to varying estimates, the enemy lost over 160'000 soldiers and officers, approximately 200 planes and some 100 tanks in the Battle for Odessa, which made it harder for the Nazi Army Group South’s right wing to advance further east. 🎖 On May 1, 1945, Odessa became one of the first Hero Cities alongside Leningrad, Stalingrad, and Sevastopol, as per an executive order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. #WeRemember#GreatPatrioticWar

🦅 On August 1, Russia commemorates the Day of Remembrance for Russian Soldiers Who Fell in World War I. On this day in 1914, Germany declared war on the Russian Empire, and by August 2, had already invaded its territory. Thus, our country joined the then largest and bloodiest armed conflict in history. At the beginning of the XX century, Europe was effectively divided into two opposing blocs — the Entente (the British Empire, France and Russia) and the Triple Alliance (the German Empire, Austro-Hungary, and Italy). Each side had mutual grievances, and their subsequent arms race marked the preparations for a large-scale war. The immediate trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. He was killed by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the nationalist organisation "Young Bosnia". On July 23, Austro-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, deliberately containing demands that were impossible to meet. The Serbian government responded with restraint, accepting many of the conditions, but rejected some key points, including allowing Austro-Hungarian police onto Serbian territory. As a result, on July 28, Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia. 🇷🇺 Russia, long regarded as the protector of Orthodox Slavic nations in the Balkans, could not remain uninvolved and on the night of July 31, declared a general mobilisation. On August 1, the German Empire declared war on the Russian Empire; two days later — on France. On August 4, the British Empire declared war on Germany. On August 6, Austro-Hungary declared war on Russia. Thus, within the span of a single week, the leading European powers were drawn into the conflict. The war that had begun among a few European countries gradually engulfed 38 nations. The conflict lasted just over four years but surpassed all previous wars in human history in both scale and consequences. The total number of mobilized soldiers reached 73.5 million. During the hostilities, 10 million people were killed — as many as had died in all European wars over the previous thousand years — and 20 million were wounded, 3.5 million of whom were left permanently disabled. 🥈 The Russian Empire had to fulfill its obligations as an ally while also pursuing its own strategic objectives. The most important directions, from the country's perspective, were the Southwestern and Caucasus fronts, while the Northwestern and Western directions played a less central role. However, due to treaty obligations, the Russian command undertook a full-scale offensive in East Prussia in 1914. Under these difficult conditions, our soldiers and officers demonstrated exceptional courage and bravery. One of the symbols of Russian valour was the defence of the Osowiec Fortress. German troops used chemical weapons — a mixture of chlorine and bromine — killing most of the garrison. To the enemy's shock, the surviving defenders launched a bayonet charge and drove them into retreat. This event went down in history as the "Attack of the Dead Men." One of the most significant and vivid episodes of World War I, according to many historians, was the famous Brusilov Offensive by the Russian Imperial Army on the Southwestern Front. It pushed Austro-Hungary to the brink of collapse and forced the German Empire to divert substantial forces from Verdun in France to the “Russian theatre of war.” 🕯The self-sacrifice of Russian soldiers and officers is hard to overestimate. Over the course of the war, over 2 million of them perished. Our country honours the memory of the heroes of those days: in 2004, the Memorial Park Complex to the Heroes of World War I was opened in Moscow, and in 2014, a monument to the heroes of World War I was unveiled on Poklonnaya Hill. In total, 20 monuments and memorials have been erected across Russia and abroad. 👉Read more #WeRemember

🕊️🎖️Victory Day in Cape Town #Victory80#WeRemember

🏅 Happy #VictoryDay! Today marks the 80th Anniversary of the Great Victory over Nazism. #WeRemember#LestWeForget #Victory80

🗓 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

🏅15 Days Until the VictoryDay On April 24, 1945, the Red Army launched the final assault on Berlin (Battle of Berlin). Soviet forces encircled the Frankfurt–Guben enemy groups located in the southern part of the German capital and continued their offensive, liberating settlement after settlement. By the end of the day 20 locations had been liberated and over 9,000 German soldiers were imprisoned. #Victory80#WeRemember

🎖️Memory Bridging Generations: A Lecture on the USSR in World War II for Children of Gugulethu 🕊️ A special educational session took place in the township of Gugulethu within the walls of the Lumkile’s Book Joint literature club. The event was dedicated to an important and solemn topic — the contribution of the Soviet Union to the Victory in the Second World War. 📚 Representatives of the Russian Consulate General and activists from the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots spoke to young listeners about key chapters of history — the heroic defense of Moscow, the Siege of Leningrad, the Battle of Stalingrad, and the liberation of Europe from Nazism. The children learned how ordinary people showed immense courage during the most difficult times and how today’s Russia keeps the memory of this feat alive. 🕯️ At the heart of the meeting were personal stories: the schoolchildren listened with interest about wartime childhood and how millions lost their homes but never lost faith in kindness and hope for peace. #RussiaSouthAfrica#WeRemember#Victory80

🏅 On March 29, 1942, during the harshest period of the Siege of Leningrad, the first partisan convoy carrying food supplies reached the besieged city. Braving enemy lines, the partisans managed to break through the front and deliver 42 tonnes of life-saving provisions to those starving in Leningrad. The blockade had been sealed in September 1941, trapping more than 2.5 million people inside the city, including 400'000 children inside. They endured horrific hunger, relentless bombings took a heavy toll, and the harsh winter added to their suffering. The Road of Life had yet to be established. The situation was also dire in the occupied Pskov and Novgorod regions, where Nazi forces carried out mass executions and deportations to labour camps. Yet, resistance never ceased. Deep behind enemy lines, the Soviet people formed the first partisan stronghold of the Great Patriotic War — the Partisan Land. Upon learning of the desperate conditions in Leningrad, the partisans resolved to help the starving and freezing residents of the city. In early March, they assembled a supply convoy carrying 28 tonnes of flour and over 14 tonnes of other essential provisions. To reach the city, the partisans had to break through two heavily fortified German defensive lines: first, the encirclement around the Partisan Land, and then the main frontline. The convoy travelled only at night, hiding their sleds and horses in the forests during the day to avoid detection. After covering over 100 kilometres behind enemy lines, the convoy successfully delivered vital food supplies to Leningrad. These 42 tonnes of supplies saved countless lives at a time when thousands of people were dying each day. ✉️ Along with the provisions, a letter to the city’s residents was included: “We stand with you, dear friends, comrades in arms... Greetings to you, our hero-city, our mighty Leningrad!” 🕯 The Partisan Land ceased to exist in September 1942. The Nazis burned villages to the ground and massacred the civilians who had lived there. Nearly all the heroes who had risked their lives to bring food to Leningrad perished. To honour their sacrifice, March 29 is commemorated in the Leningrad region as Partisan Glory Day. #Victory80#WeRemember

⭐ The Consul General of Russia in Cape Town Mr. Malenko presented the commemorative medal "80 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" to the Arctic Convoy veteran Joseph Wilkinson and congratulated him on the upcoming holiday. 📝 Durning World War II Arctic convoys departed from the United Kingdom, Iceland and North America to deliver vital supplies to northern ports of the Soviet Union. During these operations 85 merchant ships and 16 Royal Navy warships were lost. 📝 Joseph Wilkinson, who joined the Royal Navy in 1943 at the age of 17, made a significant contribution to the overall Victory. He served for seven years as a radio operator on a corvette and participated in convoy protection missions heading to Murmansk. 🇷🇺 The veteran expressed gratitude for the attention shown to him and for the contribution to preserving the memory of Victory. Family members of Joseph Wilkinson were also present at the ceremony. 👏🏻 We sincerely wish him and his family good health and many more years of life. #Victory80#WeRemember#RussiaSouthAfrica

🗓 81 years ago, the events of critical importance for Europe took place. On 26 March 1944, as part of the Uman–Botoșani offensive, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front led by Marshal Ivan Konev reached the Prut River that constituted the state border between the USSR and Romania. The Allies of the Anti-Hitler Coalition persistently asked to advance further and not to stop fighting against Nazi Germany and its henchmen. In the night of March 27, the Red Army crossed the Soviet-Romanian border. Those developments effectively paved the way for the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe from the German invaders. More than one million Red Army soldiers gave their lives in the struggle to save the European nations enslaved by the Nazis. Regretfully, the memory of World War II on a regular basis falls under the manipulation of Western countries that seek to rewrite history to serve their geopolitical interests. Many European politicians shamelessly generate false facts and assessments that completely distort not only the role of the Soviet Union but also, more broadly, the causes and nature of World War II. ❗️It is our common duty to preserve historical truth and honour the memory of the heroes who sacrificed themselves for the sake of peace and freedom for all. #Victory80#WeRemember

#NoStatuteOfLimitations 🗓 On March 24, 1999, the North Atlantic bloc started bombing Yugoslavia. The "military operation" against a sovereign state became a tragic milestone in the life of the Serbian people and delivered a devastating blow to international law. The US & its cronies bombed the cities, including Belgrade, villages & civilian infrastructure for 78 days, blowing up bridges, passenger trains and buses and killing women, children & elderly people. In doing so, the West destroyed the post-WWII foundations of European security and started replacing the legitimate mechanisms that regulated international relations with a “rules-based order”. ▪️ 3'000 cruise missiles were fired at a sovereign European republic & 80'000 tonnes of bombs were dropped on its people. The use of depleted uranium ammunitioncontaminated vast areas & caused an unprecedented rise in cancer-related diseases that continues to affect people to this day. More than 200'000 non-Albanian residents of Kosovo, forced to flee their homes, have yet to return. Under the cover of NATO's aggression, members of the so-called "Kosovo Liberation Army" committed heinous crimes, including the abduction and murder of Serbs for the illegal trade of human organs. ❗️None of the NATO representatives has been called to account. The victims of the aggression were written off as “collateral damage,” meaning losses that "accompany" the fulfillment of the geopolitical ambitions of the US, the UK, and their satellites. 💬 From the briefing by Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, (Moscow, March 20, 2025): NATO’s “humanitarian intervention” can serve as an example of modern barbarity and the rule-based world order and its backbone value: unfounded belief in its own superiority. <...> This is what Western democracy and freedoms look like. This view is still dominating in the West, where thousands of killed Yugoslavian civilians, including 89 children, are cynically called collateral damage. This is democracy with freedom of speech. The issue of the NATO allies’ responsibility for the damage they have done to international relations and Yugoslavia remains unresolved. 🕯 The brutal operation carried out against sovereign Yugoslavia 26 years ago is a tragedy inflicted upon the people of Yugoslavia by NATO warmongers with lasting and multifaceted consequences. #WeRemember#Yugoslavia1999

#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