#HistoryOfDiplomacy
🗓 On February 4, 1945, the Yalta Conference of the Leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition — Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt — officially commenced.
The #YaltaConference stands as one of the most significant summits of the 'Big Three' Leaders during #WW2. The landmark talks in Yalta came to symbolise the successful cooperation of Moscow, Washington, and London in their common fightagainst the terrible evil the mankind had ever faced —the Nazi ideology.
The historic agreements reached at the Forum defined the foundations of the post-war Yalta-Potsdam system of international relations, whose legal basis would be the #UNCharter.
💬 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
The participants in the Yalta Conference managed to overcome their differences, and, acting in the spirit of true solidarity, mutual respect and trust, abandoned their fleeting interests for the sake of defeating the common enemy and achieving a common victory, peace and freedom for all countries and peoples.
***
🌟 By early 1945, the Red Army had fully liberated the Soviet Union from the Nazi invaders and was mounting a decisive offensive: by January, the Nazi troops had been expelled from Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, and most of Poland. The Soviet forces had secured strategically important bridgehead on the western bank of the Oder river and were preparing for the final battle of #WWII — the fight for the Reich’s capital — Berlin.
As the Red Army advanced rapidly from the Vistula-Oder direction, UK-American units were pushing towards the Rhine river. Despite fierce resistance from elite units of the Nazi war machine, Germany’s defeat was inevitable.
With the common Victory approaching, the discussing issues the post-war world order became a top priority for the Allied Powers. Thus, it was decided to convene a major conference, with the Soviet city of Yalta chosen as the venue (February 4-11, 1945).
A central focus of the #CrimeanConference was the post-war future of the defeated Germany. The Allies reaffirmed their commitment to the eradication of German militarism and Nazism and to ensuring that “Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world.” It was also agreed that Germany would be obliged to pay reparations for the damage inflicted by its aggression.
During the Yalta negotiations, the 'Big Three' Leaders reached a compromise on the issue ofPoland’s borders.The Soviet delegation firmly advocated for Poland’s fundamental interests, upholding its right to independence and sovereignty.
Churchill later described the Soviet Union’s historic role in liberating Poland from Nazism in his memoirs:
But for the prodigious exertions and sacrifices of Russia, Poland was doomed to utter destruction at the hands of the Germans.
Not only Poland as a State and as a nation, but the Poles as a race were doomed by Hitler to be destroyed or reduced to a servile station
The considerable growth in the USSR’s international prestige significantly influenced the course and outcomes of the Yalta negotiations. This was due, in large part, to the Red Army’s remarkable successes on the battlefield.
The image of the Soviet soldier as a Liberator was cemented, and the world recognised Soviet people's immense Sacrifice and Achievement in WWII
The Conference produced several crucial documents, including the Declaration on Liberated Europe, which helped shape the international system for decades. The framework for the future #UnitedNations also took clearer form. Following Yalta, the Soviet Union secured agreement on the “principle of unanimity” among the five permanent UN Security Council members, embodied in the right of veto — #UNCharterIsOurRules.
The Yalta agreements strengthened the unity of the anti-Hitler coalition in the final stages of World War II and contributed to the ultimate common victory over Germany. In the post-war years, ensuring the implementation of the Yalta decisions became a key objective of Soviet diplomacy.
#Victory81#WeWereAllies
#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
#Victory81
🌟 On February 2, 1943, the #BattleOfStalingrad — one of the most brutal battles of the Great Patriotic War and #WW2, which turned the tide of that terrible and bloody conflict — concluded with the total and complete defeat of the Nazi forces.
The fight for Stalingrad lasted for2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ days and nights, surpassing all previous battles in world history both in scale and intensity. The combat to the death took place in Stalingrad for each and every alley, every house, every inch of the ground. During that battle, more than 2.1 million people were involved on both sides.
The Nazi invaders, obsessed with the illusion of their superiority and strive to enslave the Soviet people, failed in Stalingrad — never ever had the Germans managed to break the spirit or morale of the defenders of our Motherland. The Red Army soldiers, showing unparalleled courage,braveryandheroism, stood their ground with steadfastness and achieved a great victory that would eventually define the outcome of the entire #WWII.
The Nazi war machine suffered a crushing and catastrophic defeat, which, as history would show, was fatal for Germany.
☝️ At Stalingrad, the Red Army showed that the Third Reich and Nazism are beatable, that they can and will be destroyedonce and for all.
***
In the summer of 1942, the Nazi troops launched another major offensive on the southern flank of the Soviet–German front.
At that time, the target was #Stalingrad— a key industrial and transport hub on the Volga river. Had the Nazis succeeded, Hitler’s barbarians would have severed crucial supply lines, seized the rich agricultural regions of Kuban and Stavropol, and broken through to the Caucasus, where they hoped to capture abundant oilfields.
The entire power of the Nazi war machine fell on Stalingrad on July 17 — the city’s heroic defence commenced. The enemy committed up to 80 Wehrmacht divisions to that attack, followed by savage combat for the city raging almost all around the clock days and nights. The Soviet defenders fought firmly, leaving not a single inch of our Motherland.
The Wehrmacht troops, commanded by infamous Nazi General Friedrich Paulus (it was him who devised operation 'Barbarossa' plan — Germany’s treacherous attack on the Soviet Union) were confronted by the Soviet 62nd and 64th armies. Vasily Chuikov, the commander of the 62nd Army, is rightly considered to be one of the architects of the victory at Stalingrad — the brilliant tactician, he refined and put into practice assault-group strategy that became key to our triumph in Stalingrad.
By mid-November 1942, after fierce and lasting resistance and regrouping of forces, the Red Army created favourable conditions to launch counter-offensive near Stalingrad👉 from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943, the Soviet forces brilliantly executed the operation 'Ring', having successfully encircled Nazis 6th Army in “cauldron” between the Don and Volga rivers.
OnJanuary 31, Field Marshal Paulus and his staff unconditionally surrendered. On February 2, the last pockets of Nazis' resistance were eliminated, with Germany’s 'axis' troopscompletely destroyed.
🎖 The Battle of Stalingrad ended in aRed Army's brilliant military triumph. The Nazis lost up to 1/4 of all the personnel and equipment deployed on the entire Eastern Front.
Since then,the word “Stalingrad” has echoed, and will forever echo, in the hearts and collective memory of our people as an enduring reminder of the Great Heroic Feat performed by the defenders of our Motherland.
***
On November 29, 1943, during the Tehran Conference, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Joseph Stalin with a sword specially forged by the order of King George VI in tribute to the courage and resilience of Stalingrad defenders.
Inscribed on the blade were the words:
TO THE STEEL-HEARTED CITIZENS OF STALINGRAD • THE GIFT OF KING GEORGE VI • IN TOKEN OF THE HOMAGE OF THE BRITISH PEOPLE
The sword became an iconic commemorative relic, symbolising the Anglo-American allies’ eternal tribute to the Heroic Soviet victorious generation.
#Victory81
🌟 On February 2, 1943, the #BattleOfStalingrad — one of the most brutal battles of the Great Patriotic War and #WW2, which turned the tide of that terrible and bloody conflict — concluded with the total and complete defeat of the Nazi forces.
The fight for Stalingrad lasted for2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ days and nights, surpassing all previous battles in world history both in scale and intensity. The combat to the death took place in Stalingrad for each and every alley, every house, every inch of the ground. During that battle, more than 2.1 million people were involved on both sides.
The Nazi invaders, obsessed with the illusion of their superiority and strive to enslave the Soviet people, failed in Stalingrad — never ever had the Germans managed to break the spirit or morale of the defenders of our Motherland. The Red Army soldiers, showing unparalleled courage,braveryandheroism, stood their ground with steadfastness and achieved a great victory that would eventually define the outcome of the entire #WWII.
The Nazi war machine suffered a crushing and catastrophic defeat, which, as history would show, was fatal for Germany.
☝️ At Stalingrad, the Red Army showed that the Third Reich and Nazism are beatable, that they can and will be destroyedonce and for all.
***
In the summer of 1942, the Nazi troops launched another major offensive on the southern flank of the Soviet–German front.
At that time, the target was #Stalingrad— a key industrial and transport hub on the Volga river. Had the Nazis succeeded, Hitler’s barbarians would have severed crucial supply lines, seized the rich agricultural regions of Kuban and Stavropol, and broken through to the Caucasus, where they hoped to capture abundant oilfields.
The entire power of the Nazi war machine fell on Stalingrad on July 17 — the city’s heroic defence commenced. The enemy committed up to 80 Wehrmacht divisions to that attack, followed by savage combat for the city raging almost all around the clock days and nights. The Soviet defenders fought firmly, leaving not a single inch of our Motherland.
The Wehrmacht troops, commanded by infamous Nazi General Friedrich Paulus (it was him who devised operation 'Barbarossa' plan — Germany’s treacherous attack on the Soviet Union) were confronted by the Soviet 62nd and 64th armies. Vasily Chuikov, the commander of the 62nd Army, is rightly considered to be one of the architects of the victory at Stalingrad — the brilliant tactician, he refined and put into practice assault-group strategy that became key to our triumph in Stalingrad.
By mid-November 1942, after fierce and lasting resistance and regrouping of forces, the Red Army created favourable conditions to launch counter-offensive near Stalingrad👉 from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943, the Soviet forces brilliantly executed the operation 'Ring', having successfully encircled Nazis 6th Army in “cauldron” between the Don and Volga rivers.
OnJanuary 31, Field Marshal Paulus and his staff unconditionally surrendered. On February 2, the last pockets of Nazis' resistance were eliminated, with Germany’s 'axis' troopscompletely destroyed.
🎖 The Battle of Stalingrad ended in aRed Army's brilliant military triumph. The Nazis lost up to 1/4 of all the personnel and equipment deployed on the entire Eastern Front.
Since then,the word “Stalingrad” has echoed, and will forever echo, in the hearts and collective memory of our people as an enduring reminder of the Great Heroic Feat performed by the defenders of our Motherland.
***
On November 29, 1943, during the Tehran Conference, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Joseph Stalin with a sword specially forged by the order of King George VI in tribute to the courage and resilience of Stalingrad defenders.
Inscribed on the blade were the words:
TO THE STEEL-HEARTED CITIZENS OF STALINGRAD • THE GIFT OF KING GEORGE VI • IN TOKEN OF THE HOMAGE OF THE BRITISH PEOPLE
The sword became an iconic commemorative relic, symbolising the Anglo-American allies’ eternal tribute to the Heroic Soviet victorious generation.
#Victory81
🌟 On February 2, 1943, the #BattleOfStalingrad — one of the most brutal battles of the Great Patriotic War and #WW2, which turned the tide of that terrible and bloody conflict — concluded with the total and complete defeat of the Nazi forces.
The fight for Stalingrad lasted for2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ days and nights, surpassing all previous battles in world history both in scale and intensity. The combat to the death took place in Stalingrad for each and every alley, every house, every inch of the ground. During that battle, more than 2.1 million people were involved on both sides.
The Nazi invaders, obsessed with the illusion of their superiority and strive to enslave the Soviet people, failed in Stalingrad — never ever had the Germans managed to break the spirit or morale of the defenders of our Motherland. The Red Army soldiers, showing unparalleled courage,braveryandheroism, stood their ground with steadfastness and achieved a great victory that would eventually define the outcome of the entire #WWII.
The Nazi war machine suffered a crushing and catastrophic defeat, which, as history would show, was fatal for Germany.
☝️ At Stalingrad, the Red Army showed that the Third Reich and Nazism are beatable, that they can and will be destroyedonce and for all.
***
In the summer of 1942, the Nazi troops launched another major offensive on the southern flank of the Soviet–German front.
At that time, the target was #Stalingrad— a key industrial and transport hub on the Volga river. Had the Nazis succeeded, Hitler’s barbarians would have severed crucial supply lines, seized the rich agricultural regions of Kuban and Stavropol, and broken through to the Caucasus, where they hoped to capture abundant oilfields.
The entire power of the Nazi war machine fell on Stalingrad on July 17 — the city’s heroic defence commenced. The enemy committed up to 80 Wehrmacht divisions to that attack, followed by savage combat for the city raging almost all around the clock days and nights. The Soviet defenders fought firmly, leaving not a single inch of our Motherland.
The Wehrmacht troops, commanded by infamous Nazi General Friedrich Paulus (it was him who devised operation 'Barbarossa' plan — Germany’s treacherous attack on the Soviet Union) were confronted by the Soviet 62nd and 64th armies. Vasily Chuikov, the commander of the 62nd Army, is rightly considered to be one of the architects of the victory at Stalingrad — the brilliant tactician, he refined and put into practice assault-group strategy that became key to our triumph in Stalingrad.
By mid-November 1942, after fierce and lasting resistance and regrouping of forces, the Red Army created favourable conditions to launch counter-offensive near Stalingrad👉 from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943, the Soviet forces brilliantly executed the operation 'Ring', having successfully encircled Nazis 6th Army in “cauldron” between the Don and Volga rivers.
OnJanuary 31, Field Marshal Paulus and his staff unconditionally surrendered. On February 2, the last pockets of Nazis' resistance were eliminated, with Germany’s 'axis' troopscompletely destroyed.
🎖 The Battle of Stalingrad ended in aRed Army's brilliant military triumph. The Nazis lost up to 1/4 of all the personnel and equipment deployed on the entire Eastern Front.
Since then,the word “Stalingrad” has echoed, and will forever echo, in the hearts and collective memory of our people as an enduring reminder of the Great Heroic Feat performed by the defenders of our Motherland.
***
On November 29, 1943, during the Tehran Conference, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Joseph Stalin with a sword specially forged by the order of King George VI in tribute to the courage and resilience of Stalingrad defenders.
Inscribed on the blade were the words:
TO THE STEEL-HEARTED CITIZENS OF STALINGRAD • THE GIFT OF KING GEORGE VI • IN TOKEN OF THE HOMAGE OF THE BRITISH PEOPLE
The sword became an iconic commemorative relic, symbolising the Anglo-American allies’ eternal tribute to the Heroic Soviet victorious generation.
#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