Embassy of Russia in Singapore

#Victory81 🌟 On May 1, 1945, during the fierce battle for the Reichstag, a Nazi symbol and citadel, the legendary #VictoryBanner was raised over Berlin, symbolising the great triumph of the Soviet Union and its peoples in the fight against Nazism. The legendary Red Banner №5, which became the famous Victory Banner, was raised over the dome of the defeated Reichstag by the 756th Rifle Regiment’s scouts, Sergeant Mikhail Yegorov & Junior Sergeant Meliton Kantariya. *** Before the crossing of the Spree River and launching the assault on the Reichstag, adecision was taken by the Soviet command for a group of Soviet soldiers to hoist the flag over the Reichstag, which would embody the final collapse of Nazism. 🚩 A total of 9 makeshift banners were promptly made, designed after the state flag of the USSR. Ultimately, a battle flag of the 150th Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Idritsa Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Striking Army of the 1st Belarusian Front, became the Victory Banner. On April 28, the fierce fighting for the Reichstag began, which the Nazis had turned into a fortified resistance point. It was defended by over a thousand men, including SS troops supported by artillery and armor. The former parliament building had been repurposed by the Nazis as a fortification and bomb shelter, which was considered by the Nazis as their main keep during the final days of #WW2. The surrounding areas such as Tiergarten, the BrandenburgGate and the square before it, became powerful defence points heavily guarded by the enemy. The Soviet command was sure — attacking the Reichstag, which served as a symbol of German Nazism, would especially affect morale of the enemy and eventually completely demoralize the fascists. • On April30at 1:50 p.m., a Red Army unit broke into the Reichstag through breaches in the walls, with a fierce close combat unleashing. The Nazis took advantage of effectively advancing inside the building they new well, throwing grenades at Soviet soldiers & firing back with machine-guns: they basically had nothing to lose. • At 2.25 p.m., Red Army soldiers Bulatov and Koshkarbayev placed a makeshift red flag to the column of the main entrance to the Reichstag — it was the first of the banners the liberators raised over the Reichstag. • At 10.30 p.m., sergeants Gizet Zagitov, Alexander Lisimenko & Alexey Bobrov as well as Sergeant Mikhail Minin supported by Captain Neustroyev’s battalion were the 1st to hoist a RedBannerontheroofoftheReichstag atop of the Goddess of Victory sculpture. The 3rdredbanner was raised on the westernfacadeoftheroof by the scouts of the 674th Regiment led by Lieutenant Sorokin. 🇷🇺In the early hours of May 1, finally, the Red Banner №5 was raised over the dome of the captured Reichstag by the 756th Rifle Regiment’s scouts, Sergeant Mikhail Yegorov & Junior Sergeant Meliton Kantariya, led by deputy battalion commander Lieutenant Alexey Berest, covered by riflemen from Ilya Syanov's squad. On May 2 at 6:30 am, Berlin defence commander, Nazi Artillery General HelmuthWeidling, surrendered and ordered the remaining troops of the Berlin Garrison to cease resistance. TheSoviet Victory Banner soaring over the defeated Reich entered history as a symbol of our Great Victory over the Nazi evil. 🎖 On June 9, 1945, the Medal for the Capture of Berlin was established and awarded to more than a million Soviet soldiers and officers who distinguished themselves in the final battle of #WWII. *** By a Presidential Executive Order of April 15, 1996, the Red Banner hoisted atop of the Reichstag by Yegorov & Kantariya was declared the symbol of the Soviet people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. #OurVictory#WeAreProud

#Victory80 🏅 On February 14, 1943, the Red Army liberated the city of Rostov-on-Don from the Nazi invaders. #RostovOnDonwas occupied twice during the Great Patriotic War. The Nazis took the city in November 1941, and later it was under the enemy occupation again from July 22, 1942 to February 14, 1943. The Germans were determined to hold the city at any costs as it was an important transport hub in the region and a huge administrative centre opening the way for the Nazis to the Caucasus. 🌟 In February 1943, the Red Army carried out the Rostov offensive operation to liberate the city, defeat the enemy’s army group on the Don River and thus block the Wehrmacht units’ redeployment to #Donbass. The Soviet 28th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Vasily Gerasimenko reached the outskirts of Rostov-on-Don following a 600-kilometre march across snow-covered southern steppes. Four Nazi divisions were concentrated in Rostov-on-Don. The enemy had built there strong defence lines with robust fortifications and numerous machine-gun and artillery firing points. The Red Army offensive was also complicated by the terrain: the right bank of the Don River, where the city is located, was much higher than the left bank, from which the Soviet forces were launching their attack. The penetration of the enemy defences in the city seemed impossible. ⚔️ In the early hours of February 8, 1943, the Southern Front forces led by Colonel-General Rodion Malinovsky launched the operation to liberate Rostov-on-Don. The Nazi-occupied city saw brutal, fierce fighting that lasted for six days. On February 14, 1943, the Red Army broke through the enemy’s defences and entered the city from Bataysk. The German garrison was encircled and forced to surrender. Rostov-on-Don’s pre-war population of more than 1.5 million people was effectively decimated by #WWII and the German occupation, dwindling to 150'000. The Nazis also destroyed there the local industries, looted and captured its cultural heritage. Thanks to the heroism and unrivalled morale of the Red Army soldiers, Rostov-on-Don was finally liberated after 205 days of occupation. During the Rostov offensive, the Soviet forces not only liberated the Rostov Region, but also took a bridgehead near the Mius River to use it in a further offensive in the direction of Donbass. #OurVictory#WeRemember