🎙 Address by President of Russia Vladimir Putin at the military parade marking the 79th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 (May 9, 2024)

💬 Today we are honouring our fathers and grandfathers and grand-grandfathers. They defended their native land and crushed Nazism, liberated the peoples of Europe and displayed unparalleled heroism in combat and on the home front.

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The West would love to forget the lessons of World War II, but we remember that the destiny of humankind was decided during the colossal battles of Moscow, Leningrad, Rzhev, Stalingrad, Kursk, Kharkov, Minsk, Smolensk and Kiev, and in the intense and bloody fighting from Murmansk to the Caucasus and the Crimea.

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But let me emphasise: Russia has never belittled the significance of the Second Front or that of Allied assistance. We honour the valor of all members of the Anti-Hitler Coalition, the Resistance Movement, the underground movement and guerrillas, as well as the courage displayed by the peoples of China fighting for their independence against militarist Japan's aggression.

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Russia is now going through a difficult, watershed moment of its history. The fate of our Motherland and its future depend on each us.

Today, on Victory Day, we feel it ever more sharply and never fail to draw inspiration from our generation of the brave, noble and wise victors, and the way they cherished friendship and remained firm in the face of adversity, always trusted themselves and their country, and had a sincere and selfless love for their Motherland.

We are celebrating Victory Day against the backdrop of the Special Military Operation. All of those engaged in it, on the frontlines, are our heroes. We are humbled by your fortitude and self-sacrifice. All of Russia stands with you.

Our veterans, too, believe in you, and they are worried about you. That they remain involved emotionally in your lives and heroism is an unbreakable tie that binds this heroic generation together.

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🇷🇺🇹🇯 President of Russia Vladimir Putin had a meeting at the Kremlin with President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, who had attended celebrations marking the 79th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

💬 President Putin: Thank you so much for coming here to attend #VictoryDay celebrations. This day matters to all of us as we have discussed many times, including both yesterday and today, as well as during our meetings and other contacts.

Thank you for your words of condolences, since you were among the first to come forward in response to the Moscow terror attack.

Our special services have been hard at work in their effort to eliminate the common threats we face, since terrorism poses a threat to all countries, including both Russia and Tajikistan. We have established effective contacts along this track and our colleagues have been working closely to address these challenges. You and I have been there for them to support these efforts and will keep acting along the same lines moving forward.

As for other elements, primarily economic matters, I would like to note that Russia remains Tajikistan’s main trade and economic partner, which is a source of satisfaction for us. We are the number one trading partner for your country, and there has been growing momentum in terms of developing our relations, which of course is rejoicing.

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#RussiaTajikistan

🇷🇺🇱🇦 President of Russia Vladimir Putin held talks at the Kremlin with President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith.

💬 We are delighted to see you in Moscow, Russia, especially on the occasion of #VictoryDay, marking the victory by the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.

We are marking an anniversary this year: thirty years ago our countries signed a framework friendship and cooperation treaty.

By the way, we would like to express our gratitude to Laos for handing over the T-34 tanks to us. They are symbols of Victory for us. Of course, this is instrumental in terms of being able to show them to the public and raising awareness among young people. Thank you very much.

Last year, we witnessed a rise in our trade and economic relations, even if it has been quite modest so far, with a 12 percent increase. Holders of the Mir card can use them in your country, which will definitely help attract more tourists.

We have been expanding our defence and security cooperation too.

Our two countries have been maintaining scientific and humanitarian ties. We are grateful to you, Mr President, and all your colleagues for supporting Russian language studies.

We have been effective and proactive in working together on the international stage, including within the United Nations. Promoting our strategic partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a major foreign policy priority for us. ASEAN has substantially expanded the agenda dealing with our joint efforts after Laos assumed its Chairmanship.

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#RussiaLaos

🇷🇺 President of Russia Vladimir Putin addressed the guests at a reception on behalf of the President of Russia in honour of the heads of state invited to attend the celebrations of the 79th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.

💬 President Putin: Today, on Victory Day, it is with a special feeling of warmth that we welcome in Russia and here in Moscow our reliable partners and friends.

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Time has no power over the greatness of the colossal victory of 1945. Despite all attempts to rewrite history, the lessons that the world community learnt in the crucible of the Second World War remain unassailable.

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We remember the Allied contribution to fighting Nazism, those who took part in the lend-lease convoys, including Cuba, by the way. We are delighted to have the President of this country, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, with us on a day which matters so much to all of us.

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The Nazis directed most of their military might against the Soviet Union, but the enemy had to face a vigorous and firm pushback there. The entire Soviet nation rose to defend the Fatherland in an unprecedented demonstration of unity and mass heroism.

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Having defeated Nazism and asserted its independence, our country made a sincere effort to support other nations aspiring to self-determination by helping people in Africa and Asia both in word and deed during their anti-colonial struggles without backing out once they achieved their state independence.

I believe that President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who is here today, will agree that this consistency on behalf of the Soviet Union and then Russia has borne fruit.

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☝️ Russia reaffirms its commitment to promoting mutually beneficial partnerships and friendship with everyone who shares the values of freedom and justice and calls for strictly abiding by the international norms, as well as for an inclusive, equal and indivisible security architecture.

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🇷🇺🇬🇼 President of Russia Vladimir Putin had a meeting in the Kremlin with President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

💬 President Putin: As we have already mentioned in our earlier conversation today, I am pleased to note that this is not your first visit to Russia. We have been paying a lot of attention to expanding our bilateral contacts. However, this time presents a special occasion since you came here on Victory Day, which has special significance for Russia as a whole and for the entire former Soviet Union, considering the immense contribution by the peoples of the former Soviet Union and the sacrifices they made to achieve Victory.

There is another point I wanted to make. Russia played a special role in supporting Guinea-Bissau in its struggle for independence, as we have just mentioned when we talked to each other face to face. Russia helped establish Guinea-Bissau’s statehood and contributed to expanding your country’s economic, scientific and technological potential.

The ties between our two countries are rooted in long-standing traditions of friendship, as well as the principles of equality and mutual respect. Let me remind you that last year we marked the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. We have been maintaining effective inter-parliamentary and inter-agency ties too.

Today, we have an opportunity to discuss our performance under bilateral agreements in various sectors and further steps to expand our cooperation.

🎓 I must note that students from your country continue to study in Russia. We are ready to offer Guinea-Bissau an even bigger quota.

🤝 Russia and Guinea-Bissau have demonstrated solidarity when dealing with many urgent matters on the global agenda and share close positions on the emergence of a multipolar world order and security matters. I do hope that we will continue these contacts on essential issues.

We have been paying special attention to our relations with African countries.

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#RussiaAfrica

🇷🇺🇨🇺 President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez held a meeting at the Kremlin.

💬 President Putin: We are delighted to see you in Russia and in Moscow. Thank you for finding the opportunity to attend the parade marking the 79th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

I would like to emphasise something that may be overlooked by some: Cuban patriots also contributed to the fight against Nazism and fought on the frontlines of the Great Patriotic War. They fought for Leningrad in the most challenging hotspots, including the Neva Bridgehead. We remember this, we know this, and we will always respect those who stood shoulder to shoulder with our forefathers in their battle against Nazism.

Yesterday, you attended the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which is part of the Eurasian Economic Union, one of the most effective associations in the post-Soviet space. Cuba takes part in these meetings as an observer state and I hope that this brings about tangible results.

🤝 Russia’s relations with Cuba are based on the feelings of friendship and mutual respect. It has always been this way.

We have always shown support for the people of Cuba and rejected the continuing and long-standing attempts by the United States to restrain Cuba in its development and harm its economy by imposing illegal sanctions and restrictions.

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#RussiaCuba

🎖 On May 9, 1945, the Medal 'For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945' was established by the Order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

The idea of introducing a medal to commemorate the end of the war was raised as early as October 1944 when the Nazi German defeat became inevitable.

Work on the design began on May 5, 1945. A total of 20 designs were submitted, with the one by the artists Romanov and Andrianov chosen at the end.

The round 32-mm medal was made of brass. Its obverse side showed the profile bust of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin with the inscription, “Our Cause is Right — we won”. The reverse side showed the full name of the medal.

⬛️🟧 The medal ribbon was fashioned in black and orange. It was the St George’s Ribbon that later became the symbol of the Victory of the Soviet People in the Great Patriotic War.

📃 According to the Regulations on the Medal, it was awarded to all military personnel and civilian personnel who served in the ranks of the Red Army, Navy and NKVD troops on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War or ensured victory through their efforts in military districts; and to all military personnel and civilian personnel who served during the Great Patriotic War in the ranks of the active Red Army, Navy and NKVD troops, but who were discharged due to wounds, illness and injury, as well as those who were transferred by decision of state and party organisations to other positions outside the army.

The for Medal for Victory over Germany was the most common state insignia in the Soviet Union with the total number of recipients reaching almost 15 million people.

☝️ #InterestingFact: The Medal 'For Victory over Germany' shows Stalin looking left, towards Berlin, while the Medal 'For Victory over Japan' shows him looking right, towards Tokyo.

The recipients of the Medal 'For the Victory over Germany' are entitled to receive anniversary medals for the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

#Victory79

✍️ President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants and guests of the 15th International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: #KazanForum,” underway in Kazan (May 10, 2024)

💬 Russia values its traditionally friendly ties with Muslim countries. We highly appreciate their desire to pursue an independent foreign policy and increase their role in international affairs.

Together, we stand for the formation of a democratic multipolar world order, based on the rule of law and principles of justice, free from any form of dictatorship and discrimination. Of course, we are also committed to expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, from trade and investment to sports and tourism.

☝️ We believe the next meeting of the Russia – Islamic World Strategic Vision Working Group, organised together with representatives of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, is of great importance. It is also important that Russia’s interaction with this authoritative international association on current issues of the regional and global agenda is progressing.

I believe that the work of the Forum will be meaningful and constructive as always and will be held in a spirit of openness and trust. It will serve to further promote the friendship and creative partnership between our countries and peoples.

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🎬 From Berlin to Maidan: 80 years on — Nazism gaining notoriety in Ukraine — an RT Doc Film.

Synopsis: In 1945 the Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany and put an end to the Nazi atrocities at the cost of 27 million lives of the Soviet people. 80 years later, the same nationalist ideas the Soviet people had been fighting against is starting to spread across Ukraine.

The main ideas of the Third Reich are now relevant in Ukraine: killing of civilians, militarisation of society and radical policy imposed by nationalists. Besides that, history books in Ukraine are being rewritten, with nationalist leaders Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevich being made new role models, while the monuments of WWII heroes are being demolished. Decades later, is history repeating itself again?

The authors of the film, talking about the Great Patriotic War, draw parallels with the current events in Ukraine. Now, at the places of those old battles, when the Red Army liberated Ukraine from Hitler, hostilities are taking place again. The grandchildren of the Soviet soldiers who defeated German fascism in 1945 have to fight with its new followers, whose hero is Bandera. Historians, political scientists and journalists share their opinions on the reasons that led to the war 80 years ago and on the current situation in Ukraine.