Europe Victory Day Celebrated in Berlin
Events dedicated to the 74th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 were held in Berlin
May 10th, 2019
Photo by Hebbel am Ufel
On May 9, a ceremonial wreath-laying event took place in Berlin.
The event was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Federal Republic of Germany Nechaev S.Yu., Archbishop Podolsky Tikhon of the Berlin German Diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, ambassadors of the CIS countries, leaders and representatives of veterans' organizations and associations of Russia.
Moreover, the Embassy of the Russian Federation organized a festive reception in connection with the 74th anniversary of the Victory, inviting WWII veterans, prominent public and political figures of Germany, the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg, heads of diplomatic and military missions, and representatives of Russian foreign agencies accredited in Berlin.
Most countries of the world celebrate Victory Day over Nazism on May 8 but the countries of the former USSR celebrate it a day later, on May 9. In European countries and Russia, Victory Day is celebrated on May 8th and respectively, on May 9th, because Germany’s surrender came into force on different days. On May 7, 1945, Colonel-General Alfred Jodl, Chief of the Operations Directorate of the Supreme Command of the German Army signed the German surrender act in Reims, France. But the anti-Hitler coalition officially accepted it on May 8 at 11:01 pm Berlin time, when in Moscow it was already 00:01, May 9.
On this Remembrance day, residents of Russia and other countries honor the memory of war heroes and pay tribute to veterans. Millions of people take to the streets of cities with portraits of their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, who were directly involved in the Great Victory.
A total of about 9 million Soviet soldiers from 11 European countries took part in the battles, and another 6 together with the allies. In total, the Red Army brought liberation to 120 million people in Europe. Its irretrievable losses amounted to more than 1 million soldiers and officers.
