Russia, other anti-Hitler coalition nations and whole world commemorate WWII Victory

Similarly, the main mission of the visiting high-profile foreign civilian dignitaries was to pay due respect to the Soviet war veterans on this red-lettered day as they joined the Russian political leadership, heads of other CIS states, the political heirs to the defunct Soviet’s illustrious military heritage, and millions of ordinary Russians and their well-wishers to commemorate the 65th anniversary of their hard-won victory against Nazism and its evil practices on Nazi-occupied territories in Russia and across Europe. The Second World War (WWII), due to its unparalleled dramatic negative impacts and uniquely historic importance for the Soviet Union, is officially called in Russia and other former Soviet republics “the Great Patriotic War.” 

Highlighting the importance of the WWII Victory

Speaking at the ceremony on the Red Square, President Dmitry Medvedev praised the Soviet WWII veterans for their unparalleled heroism, selfless sacrifices and total commitments displayed against all odds in their brave resistance to Nazism and its monstrous war machines. “Your feats are unparalleled in terms of human bravery and power. We will never forget the soldiers that fought bravely on war fronts, the women and children that worked shifts nights and days in factories to support war efforts.” In recognition of the representatives of the anti-Hitler coalition nations’ troops present at the ceremony, Medvedev also thanked the allies for their immeasurable war efforts, including the Land Lease and North Convoy programs that supplied the much needed additional aid to the Red Army that enabled the Soviet Union to fight and eventually win the most horrendous war in terms of wasteful losses of lives and destructions in human history.

The Second World War, due to its unparalleled dramatic negative impacts and uniquely historic importance for the Soviet Union, is officially called in Russia and other former Soviet republics “the Great Patriotic War.”

Indeed, Kremlin did go an extra mile to make the occasion a grandiose geopolitical affair, including the pumping of about $40mln into the preparations of events and activities, including weather conditioning programs to guarantee ‘appropriate’ atmosphere, military personal totaling about 10,000 soldiers, over 150 tracked and wheeled military vehicles and about 130 aircraft, including the latest gadgets, to ensure that the 65th round-figure anniversary ceremonial parade was not just the traditional payment of due respect to the WWII veterans, but also to use the resounding high geopolitical profile of the commemoration to highlight the internationally acclaimed decisive role of the Soviet Union in crushing Nazism. 

Besides, the Russian political leaders also used the occasion to counteract the increasingly growing ‘despicable attempts’ by some ‘radical elements’ in the former Soviet Union republics, Europe and elsewhere to ‘rewrite’ parts or the whole of the WWII history that are not favorable to them, and more importantly, ‘reedit’ the political results endorsed by the WWII’s major anti-Hitler allies as well as ‘cast doubts’ over the priceless heroism of the anti-Hitler WWII veterans, the validity and legitimacy of the legal and judicial assessments of all the WWII events, including the unequivocal conclusions and guilty verdicts handed down by the Nuremberg Tribunal on the Nazi leaders and their collaborators. 

Prominent foreigners’ presence on the Red Square

Some of such geopolitical considerations help explain the huge presence of international political dignitaries from across the globe at the event. Indeed, this year’s parade on the Red Square was also unique in that for the first time since marking the Great Victory Day in 1945, troops from the victorious anti-Hitler coalition nations, which are key NATO member states, notably, the United States, Great Britain and France as well as national armies from most post-Soviet independent republics took part in the military show, which traditionally highlights Russia’s unquestionable military might. As usual, this was evident in the emphatic demonstrations of both Soviet-era war armaments and the country’s latest military gadgets such as the so-called amphibian tanks, the Topol-M and Iskander strategic ballistic rocker launchers and interceptors and other military equipment.

Thus, apart from the CIS leaders, the occasion was personally graced by top global leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Israeli President Shimon Peres, WWII veteran and Soviet-era Polish President Wojciech Jaruzelski, Poland's acting President Bronislav Komorowsky as well as about 30 other heads of state and governments from across the globe. The huge presence of top global leaders was meant to drive home the decisive role played by the Soviet Union in the global joint efforts to defeat Nazism.

Commenting her personal presence on the Red Square for the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, Merkel especially noted that this was because she fully understood the significance of this day for Russian people, and indeed, the whole world.  “I was very glad that to be invited to this Remembrance Day as the German federal chancellor,” she said. “My presence indicated that we had learnt some lessons from history, and that today we now live in peace and friendship,” she added. “This is why this occasion is a very touching event for me because we know the extraordinary sufferings that the WWII inflicted on Russia and how many people lost their lives in the war.”

The Chinese leader, speaking on behalf of his people and government, congratulated the Russian government and citizens with the Victory Day. He highly rated the military parade in honor of the Great Victory, noting that ‘all of us were witnesses to the magnificent and remarkable display on the Red Square, which has once again fully demonstrated the indestructible power of Russia and its army. “These events made the deepest impressions on everybody because the Victory Day is our joint festival.” The Chinese president also specifically noted that Beijing and Moscow’s positions and views on WWII history and results are fully identical, and expressed China’s readiness to join Moscow in resisting all attempts to ‘rewrite’ the WWII history to fit some elements’ political agenda or for other reasons.   

However, the most emotional official assessments and personal appreciations of the heroic feats of the Red Army – both as heads of state and ordinary human beings – was offered by the Israeli president, who after the official programs on the Red Square, went to the Moscow State Institute of International Relations affiliated with the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, to receive the Honorary Doctorate degree from the prestigious university’s administration. There, speaking at the degree award ceremony, the president said he came to Moscow on behalf of the whole Israel to thank all Russians for their resounding victory in the WWII. “This victory is not a simple or ordinary event in military history. It has no parallels, and it, first and foremost, belongs to the Red Army,” he added. “The price of this victory was monstrous, but the results were magnificent. “Indeed, I don’t think it would have been possible to defeat the Nazi monster without such a huge human price.” 

Speaking about the sufferings of the Jewish people during the war, Peres noted that his people were almost dealt ‘a mortal blow’ as a nation. “It was the largest sacrifice made by the Jewish people since the times of the Roman Empire, when our Great Temple was destroyed.” 

On a more personal note, the Israeli head of state specially noted that his  family owed its life and postwar happiness to the Soviet Army, which freed his father from the Nazi captivity, when he was about to be executed by the notoriously famous Nazi death squads. “This is why today I say many thanks to Russians on behalf of my self and family for saving my dad’s life,” he added. “Just a mentioning of the approach of the Soviet Army was enough for his life to be spared.”

Absentees on objective grounds

However, some high-profile guests, whose presence at the Great Victory Day commemorations event had previously been confirmed by the organizers, could not turn up for objective reasons. These, for instance, included ex-UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose future political career was on the line at the time of the ceremony after the May 6 general election resulted in a ‘hung parliament.’ Similarly, U.S. President Barack Obama, citing urgent domestic policy issues and previously scheduled commitments, also could not make the journey to Moscow.

Ditto for French President Nikolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who had previously confirmed their readiness to attend the event, had to change their plans at the 11th hour. Sarkozy and Berlusconi had attributed the belated decisions to the urgent need for them to be personally present in Brussels with the other EU leaders in finding lasting solutions to the rapidly escalating Greece’s debt issues that are threatening the existence of the union as a political entity, the fate of its euro as a valid legal tender, competitive reserve currency and reliable unit of international trade. 

In all, almost 20mln Russians, including about 5mln Moscow residents, took part in the celebrations nationwide that climaxed with colorful fireworks displays over the Kremlin and other major cities and WWII memorial sites across the country, police said. The parade demonstrated the military power of the country and aroused a sense of nostalgia among its citizens, according to official reports.