Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War.
9 May celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany and the end of the Second World War (also referred to as 'The Great Patriotic War' in Russia and in other post-Soviet countries).
USSR lost over 20 million people in the war.
Victory day is about remembering those who gave their lives to achieve the victory and honors the bravery of Russian soldiers, France soldiers, Britain soldiers, the United States and other countries Europe. And Russian people on the whole whose heroism saved the country from Nazi invaders.
The holiday marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War in 1945. Unlike Europe where it is celebrated on May 8, Victory Day in Russia is celebrated on May 9 as Germany’s surrender was signed late in the evening on May 8, 1945 when it was already May 9 in Russia .
Given the loss of life it remembers, it is generally a solemn and somber day. Victory Day in Russia is a sacred holiday for Russians who often say that there is not a single family in the country who did not lose someone in that war.
A minute of silence those who gave their lives in this war...