🇷🇺 On May 7, 2026, Consul General of Russia in Toronto Vladlen Epifanov congratulated veterans on the upcoming 8️⃣1️⃣st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

🎖 On behalf of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, commemorative medals were presented to:

🔸Boris Gurevich (1932) — survivor of the Siege of Leningrad, Vice President of the Canadian Association of WWII Veterans from the Soviet Union;

🔸Lilia Peseleva (1940) — survivor of the Siege of Leningrad.

🕯 In a warm and heartfelt atmosphere, the veterans shared memories of the hardships of war, as well as the courage and resilience of the Soviet people.

🔴🔴Deepest gratitude to the generation of victors!

#Victory81 #WeRemember

🎙 Address by President of Russia – Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin at the military parade marking the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945

📍 Moscow, May 9, 2026

💬 Vladimir Putin: I congratulate you on Victory Day – our sacred, radiant and most important holiday!

We sacredly honour the legacy and behests of the soldiers of Victory. Care for the Fatherland unites our entire country and all the people of Russia, while preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War, its true history and real heroes is a matter of honour for us.

We will always remember the feat of the Soviet people – the fact that it was they who made the decisive contribution to the defeat of Nazism, saved their country, saved the world, put an end to total and merciless evil, and restored sovereignty to those states that had capitulated to Hitler’s Germany and become obedient accomplices in its crimes.

June 22, 1941 is one of the most tragic and sorrowful dates in our history. This year marks 85 years since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

The Nazis treacherously attacked the Soviet Union. They planned to seize the country and its vast resources, completely destroy its culture and our historical heritage, and ultimately exterminate, enslave and commit genocide against the entire multi-ethnic Soviet people – precisely all peoples, nations and ethnic groups of the Soviet Union.

To carry out these criminal objectives, forces were gathered from across Europe. Nazi strategists seemed to have meticulously accounted for everything – except one thing: what is known as Russian character and the strength of spirit of the Soviet people.

🕯 We bow our heads before those who fell in battle. Before those who were tortured under occupation and in captivity, who died of starvation in besieged Leningrad, in other encircled cities and settlements. Before all those who gave their lives for the Motherland, for Russia. We bow our heads to the memory of sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends.

***

The great feat of the victorious generation inspires the warriors who are today carrying out the goals of the special military operation. They are confronting an aggressive force that is being armed and supported by the entire NATO.

☝️ And despite this, our heroes are advancing.

Alongside Russian warriors stand workers and designers, engineers, scientists and inventors. They are carrying on the traditions of their predecessors, relying on modern combat experience to create advanced and unique weapons systems and launch their mass production.

I am strongly convinced that our cause is just! We are together! Victory has always been and will always be ours!

Glory to the victorious people! Glory to our veterans! Glory to the Armed Forces of Russia!

Happy Victory Day! Hurrah!

🥇 #Victory81

On May 8, 2020, the autonomous deep-sea vehicle Vityaz-D completed a historic descent into the Mariana Trench, reaching the Challenger Deep — the deepest known point of the World Ocean.

🇷🇺 During the mission, a #Victory Banner was also deployed at the bottom of the trench, marking the anniversary of the victory over Nazism.

The deep submersion drone Vityaz was the first-ever crewless vehicle to have reached the deepest point of the world ocean on May 8 at 22:34 Moscow time. The mission was carried out fully automatically based on a pre-installed program. After deployment, the vehicle operated independently, executing its task and transmitting collected data to the surface control center in real time via a hydroacoustic communication channel.

The system includes the main and auxiliary UUVs, a seabed station, and ship-based control and support equipment, enabling a full cycle of deep-sea operations:

Key facts:

🔹 Max dive depth: 12,000 m
🔹 System includes 2 UUVs (main & auxiliary), seabed station, ship-based support equipment and spare parts
🔹 Weight: 5,600 kg
🔹 Length: 4 m
🔹 Diameter: 1.5 m
🔹 Equipped to measure temperature, pressure and electrical conductivity of the marine environment
🔹 AI-enabled navigation allows obstacle avoidance and movement in confined deep-sea environments

All components of the system are Russian-made, and the vehicle is designed for autonomous scientific exploration of extreme ocean depths without human intervention.