UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany by saying that he would formalize a day of remembrance in his county on May 8– all while Western countries celebrate the victory of Europe during the Second World War.
Victory in Europe day commemorates the acceptance by the allies of Nazi Germany’s surrender in World War 2 on May 8, 1945.
This day is also a major event in Russian history, and has a significant impact on Russian society and its culture; celebrations in Russia include a show of military might by holding a grand parade on Moscow’s red square, along with a speech delivered by the president.
In history, January 8, 1943, marked the huge Soviet counteroffensive that encircled Nazi German troops in Stalingrad. The battle lasted nearly a month which led to the German troops’ surrender on February 2.
The Red Army barreling into Berlin and capturing the city was said to be the final step in defeating the third reich and ending the war in Europe.
Nazi Germany declared official surrender on May 8, 1945.
In addition to Moscow celebrations, victory day is also marked in cities and towns across Russia and other countries with significant Russian populations.
But this year, Zelenskyy vowed that Russian forces would be defeated just as Nazi Germany was defeated in 1945.
In a speech recorded at a war memorial in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said, and quote,
“All the old evil that modern Russia is bringing back will be defeated just as Nazism was defeated.”
“Just as we destroyed evil together then, we are destroying a similar evil together now.”
“All the old evil that modern Russia is bringing back will be defeated just as Nazism was defeated…just as we destroyed evil together then, we are destroying a similar evil together now,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyyy, President of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president said he had submitted a bill to parliament to formally commemorate the Second World War in Ukraine also on May 8, which, for years, was marked on May 9 in Russia and other countries that are former members of the Soviet Union.
The move is the latest in a series of steps that Ukraine has taken to distance itself from Moscow, from renaming streets and towns named after soviet figures, banning the public use of the Russian language in public schools, to joining NATO, among others.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would instead mark Europe Day on May 9th, a move welcomed by European Commission Head Ursula Von Der Leyen, who is scheduled to visit Kyiv on Tuesday.
To recall, Russian President Vladimir Putin justified launching a special military operation in Ukraine to demilitarize and denazify the said country, but Kyiv dismissed Moscow’s justification as Russian propaganda.
