🦅 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.
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🗓 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
🗓 On December 1, 1896, legendary Soviet commander, four-time Hero of the Soviet Union, also known as the Marshal of Victory, Georgy Zhukov, was born. He made an invaluable contribution to preventing the Japanese aggression and enabling the Soviet Union to defeat Nazi Germany and achieve the Great Victory.
Georgy Zhukov joined the Red Army in the autumn of 1918, and went on to command a platoon and then a squadron during the Civil War. Having completed an advanced course in cavalry command, he later graduated from a course for high-ranking military commanders. With these degrees up his sleeve, Zhukov started his rapid ascent within the military, and in every position, he was a smart manager capable of effectively training the troops he had under his command and preparing them for combat action.
⚔️ The first major victory for this famed commander came in 1939. It was during the Battles of Khalkhin Gol that Georgy Zhukov’s resolved actions helped encircle and destroy the Japanese army. In fact, this battle was one of the main reasons which compelled the Japanese leaders to forgo their plans of staging a large-scale invasion of the USSR. Zhukov’s victory in the Mongolian steppe earned him his first Hero of the Soviet Union title. He was also awarded the rank of Army General.
But it was during the Great Patriotic War that Zhukov shone as a military commander. As Deputy Commander-in-Chief, he commanded the troops in cold blood. Coupled with the heroism of the Soviet fighters, this helped the Red Army hold its ground despite all the hardships it faced in the first months of the war. Zhukov headed the front at a critical juncture when there were hardly any troops left between the Nazi troops and Moscow. The Red Army urgently needed reserves and new units. It is under Zhukov’s command that Yelnya was liberated in August 1941, giving the USSR its first triumph in the war against Nazism.
☝️ A strategic thinker, Zhukov was able to improve the Soviet positions even in the most challenging sections along the frontline with Germany. It was he who prevented Nazis from taking over Leningrad. Zhukov also made a decisive contribution to defending Moscow, and coordinated four fronts during the Battle of Kursk, while also taking part in the battle for the Dnieper, the Battle of Korsun–Cherkassy Operation, as well as Operation Bagration and the Vistula–Oder offensive. It is quite symbolic that Zhukov commanded the 1st Belarusian Front during the Berlin offensive, received Germany’s capitulation and the first Victory Parade.
🎖 In early 1943, Georgy Zhukov became Marshal of the Soviet Union, shortly after playing a pivotal role in coordinating efforts to breach the siege of Leningrad. The second and the third titles of Hero of the Soviet Union came in 1944 and 1945. He also received two Pobeda – Victory – orders during the war, the highest distinction for military commanders.
After the war, Zhukov served as First Deputy Minister and later Minister of Defence and carried out a major reform within the Soviet Army.
✍️ In his memoires, Georgy Zhukov wrote: “Serving Motherland and my people was something that mattered the most for me. And I can say with a clear conscience that I did everything to fulfil my duty… I have lived my life knowing that I am serving the people – there can be nothing more important than that for anyone.”
#Victory80#WeRemember
#Victory80
🌟 On April 10, 1944, the Red Army liberated the city of Odessa from the Nazi German and Romanian invaders as a result of a decisive offensive under the command of Army General Rodion Malinovsky.
The operation began on the night of March 26, 1944, when the 3rd Ukrainian Front formations began to force the Southern Bug River in order to break through the German defences, and lasted until April 14, 1944.
By 10 am on April 10, as a result of fierce fighting, Odessawasliberated. The Red Army units were strongly supported by partisans and underground fighters, who cleared the city of the enemy and prevented the blowup of the Odessa port, piers, buildings, and warehouses as planned by the Germans.
🕯 The Nazi occupation of the city lasted 907 days. During this time, about 200,000 people perished in Odessa and the surrounding region. Many of them became victims of mass-scale massacres and cruel executions; 78,000 people were shipped for forced labour in Germany, plants and factories were destroyed, and more than 2,000 buildings, including hospitals and schools, were blown up and burned down.
Retreating, German and Romanian soldiers shot old people, women and children in the streets in cold blood , mined the most important buildings, factories, the power plant, and the seaport.
⚔️ The Soviet forces inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy, killing more than 27,000 enemies and taking over 11,000 prisoners; 952 artillery guns, 443 tanks and assault guns, and 95 warehouses with ammunition and food were destroyed.
Thanks to the liberation of Odessa, the Red Army managed to interrupt the supply of the Crimean group of German troops and to open the way for further advance towards the Balkans.
During the whole time of occupation, local residents, many of whom after the capture of the city went hiding in the catacombs underneath the urban landscape, put fierce resistance to the Nazis. During the war, Odessa underground fighters and partisans destroyed more than 5,000 enemy soldiers and officers, 248 automobiles, and saved about 20,000 Soviet citizens from being taken to Germany.
The liberation of Odessa was marked in Moscow with fireworks of the highest category with 24 salvos from 324 artillery guns. The entire Soviet nation was united in a jubilation.
🎖 Twenty-seven formations and units with the most distinguished track record during the operation were awarded the honorary name of Odessa units and formations. For heroism and bravery in the battles for the city, 14 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and more than 2,000 people were awarded Soviet orders and medals.
On May 1, 1945, Odessa was declared a Hero City, and on May 8, 1965 it was awarded this title officially.
Some may have chosen to forget, but #WeRemember.
🎖다가오는 승전 80주년을 맞아 승리의 영웅들에 관한 주간 연재를 시작합니다. 우리가 소개할 많은 영웅들은 파시스트 침략자들로부터 나라를 지켰을 뿐만 아니라 조국의 동쪽 국경에서 일본군과도 싸웠습니다.
첫 번째 사진은 세이신 전투에 참가한 이들입니다. (세이신은 당시에 사용되던 일본식 명칭으로, 지금은 청진이라고 불리는 도시입니다.) 사진 속에는 소련의 영웅인 미하일 페트로비치 바라볼코와 미하일 이바노비치 코체트코가 있습니다. 오늘은 가운데 해군 군복을 입고 있는 사람, 안드레이 스테파노비치 루벤코의 활약에 대해 이야기해보려고 합니다.
안드레이 루벤코는 해군 보병 지원을 위해 8월 14일 상륙한 3급 대위 G.V.테르노프스키 부대 소속으로 세이신 상륙작전에 참가했습니다 (1945년 8월 13~16일).
8월 14일 저녁 테르노프스키는 심각한 부상을 당했고, 루벤코가 부대의 지휘를 맡게 되었습니다. 목격자들에 따르면, 그는 해군과 보병들로 구성된 통합 부대의 임무 수행을 훌륭히 지휘하여 적의 수적 우세 속에서도 어려운 밤을 버티고, 15일에 주력 부대가 도착할 때까지 182.9 고지를 지킬 수 있었습니다.
이 이야기를 특별하게 만드는 한 가지 사실은 루벤코가 이 부대의 일원으로 해군 신문 ‘보에바야 바흐타’의 사진 기자로서 활동했다는 사실입니다. 그 당시의 작전을 기록하며 오늘날까지 전해지는 많은 사진들이 그의 손에서 탄생했습니다.
루벤코의 회고록 중:
“8월 14일에서 15일로 넘어가는 밤은 끊임없는 전투 속에 지나갔다. 8시 10분 일본군은 50미터까지 접근했다. 총 12차례의 공격이 있었고, 그 중 3차례는 육박전으로 이어졌다. 일본군은 칼, 단검, 검을 들고 싸웠다. <…> 또 한 차례의 공격을 막아냈다. '우리…! 우리 군함이다!' 가슴 깊은 곳에서 터져 나온 이 외침은 용감한 전사들에게 주어진 최고의 포상처럼 울려 퍼졌다. 우리의 머리 위로, 우리의 군함 위로 빛나는 태양, 승리의 태양이 떠올랐다. <…> 8월 15일 정오, 일본군의 포위망은 무너졌다. 그들은 후퇴하기 시작했다.”
📸사진을 제공해주신 태평양함대 역사박물관과 ‘보에바야 바흐타’에게 감사드립니다.
#Victory80#WeRemember
🗓Exactly 80 years ago, on 4 April 1945, the Red Army liberated Bratislava from the forces of the Nazi Germany.
The goal of the Bratislava–Brno Offensive Operation (25 March – 5 May 1945), carried out by the troops led by Marshal Rodion Malinovsky, was to liberate Slovakia and to reach the outskirts of Prague. The Soviet cavalry attacks under the command of General Issa Pliev became a striking episode of the battles for Bratislava.
The units of Cossacks crushed the enemy, not permitting the Nazis to regroup for defence. At the same time, ships of the Danube Flotilla landed a large assault force in the enemy’s rear, clearing the way towards Bratislava. Within just 24 hours of street battles, the capital of Slovakia was liberated from the fascists.
The troops were commended for the successful fighting, while the military divisions and units that had performed best in the battles to recapture the city were named after the city of Bratislava.
In Slovakia, there are about 160 burial sites of Soviet soldiers who perished during the liberation of the territory of the present Slovak Republic from fascism. More than 60,000 Soviet soldiers rest in military cemeteries, mass graves and individual tombs. In their honour, some 100 monuments, memorial plaques and other commemorative signs have been erected.
❗️We shall never forget the great heroic act of the Red Army!
#Victory80#WeRemember
🗓 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
🗓 Today is the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the defeat of the Nazi troops by the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad. On 2 February 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad one of the largest and fiercest battles in the world history that radically changed the course of the Great Patriotic War, was concluded.
The Stalingrad Victory was the result of the unbending resilience, courage and self-sacrificing heroism of the Soviet troops. It was this battle that made a decisive contribution to reaching a major turning point in the Great Patriotic War. The Red Army seized the strategic initiative and retained it until the Victory Day. The defeat of the Nazi bloc in the battle of Stalingrad also helped to energize the Resistance Movement in the European countries.
🕯The memory of this great battle on the banks of the Volga River is carefully preserved in the Museum-Reserve “The Battle of Stalingrad” that includes the internationally renowned Memorial Complex on Mamayev Kurgan, the Panorama Museum “The Battle of Stalingrad”, as well as the Museum “Memory” located in the historical place where the Soviet troops captured the Headquarters of the 6th German Army headed by Feld Marshal Friedrich Paulus.
❗Russia honours the memory of its heroes and is proud of the heroic act of the Soviet citizens who gave their lives in order to liberate Europe from fascism.
#Victory80#WeRemember
🗓 Exactly 80 years ago, on 17 January 1945, Warsaw was liberated from fascist invaders by the forces of the 1st Belorussian Front of the Red Army and the 1st Polish Army. The city was under German occupation since 28 September 1939.
The Warsaw-Poznan operation was an important part of one of the largest offensives of the Great Patriotic War – the Vistula-Oder Operation (12 January – 3 February 1945).
✏ In 2017, the Russian Ministry of Defence unveiled a unique archive with declassified documents on the liberation of Poland by the Soviet Armed Forces. Those documents provide evidence of how Poles treated Soviet soldiers: church priests called on worshippers to support the Red Army, people brought flowers to the soldiers, Polish and Soviet flags were displayed outside houses.
❗It is our common duty to remember history and honour the heroic deeds of those who gave us the right to life. It is symbolic that the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Warsaw coincides with the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Regardless of the attempts made by some European politicians to distort the historical truth and downplay the role of the USSR in liberating Europe from Nazism, the chronicle of the war years cannot be rewritten. It will forever remain a living reminder for future generations.
#Victory80#WeRemember
🕯 June 22 marks the Day of Memory and Sorrow in Russia.
At dawn on June 2️⃣2️⃣, 1941, enemy aviation launched massive attacks on airfields, railway stations, Soviet naval bases and numerous cities along the entire western state border to a depth of up to 250-300 km.
This opened one of the most tragic chapters in our country’s history. The Great Patriotic War broke out.
Hitler had a lightning war in mind. Operation Barbarossa implied a crushing defeat of the Red Army and the defeat of the Soviet Union within a few months with the help of the hitherto faultless blitzkrieg tactics.
Romania, Italy and other countries joined Germany to form a united front against the Soviet Union.
However, the Red Army’s fierce resistance and the efforts of all Soviet people foiled the Third Reich’s plans.
🎙 The news about German invasion and the beginning of the war was announced over the radio. At noon on June 22 the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.Molotov addressed the Soviet citizens with a phrase that went down in history:
“Ours is a righteous cause. The enemy shall be defeated. Victory will be ours”.
The Great Patriotic War lasted 1418 days and nights and ended on May 9, 1945 with the victory of the Soviet Union and the complete rout of the Nazi bloc.
❗️ The Soviet people perished amounts to 40% of all human losses in WWII, i.e. 26.6 million people! Of them, more than 8.7 million died in combat, 7.42 million were intentionally exterminated by the Nazis in the occupied territories, and over 4.1 million died from the atrocious conditions of the occupation regime.
• Since 2009, the day marked by the Candle of Memory nationwide action. Candles are lit throughout Russia in the silence of the night in memory of all those who died during the Great Patriotic War protecting our peaceful life.
Since 2020, an annual nationwide minute of silence has been held at 12:15 Moscow time the exact time when the Soviet government announced Nazi Germany’s invasion.
🔗Read our full material for more information
#Victory79#WeRemember
🇷🇺 Commander-in-Chief of Russian Navy Nikolai Yevmenov visited the Kaliningrad Region last week.
⚔ He handed over a historical flag of the Mine-and-Torpedo Air Regiment of the Baltic Fleet Air Force, bombed Berlin in August 1941, to the pilots of the Mixed Aviation Regiment of the Baltic Fleet.
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📸@mod_russia
#WeRemember#WW2
🔥 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