How the Russians celebrated Victory

In Poland, the 80th anniversary of the triumph passed almost completely without an echo. On May 8, we read on the front pages of the newspapers about Nawrock's studio (Gazeta Wyborcza, Fakt), the election of Friedrich Merz as Chancellor of Germany (Rzeczpospolita) and the simplification of interest rates (Journal of Laws), and the day later about the assassination at the University of Warsaw (GW, Fakt), the fear of doctors (Rz) and the fresh pope.

In fact, this should not surprise us – for respective years now, the “democratic West” has not celebrated triumph anymore, but only occasionally mentions the subsequent anniversary of the end of planet War II. A war where you don't know who was good or who was bad. On 1 side were celebrated for the regulation of law and tolerance Germany and heroic Ukrainians under Stepan Bandera, who have always fought for our freedom and yours. Second – commanded by Stalin barbarians who fought between the robberies and rapes of women encountered. The function of Western states is even more interesting in this conflict – it turns out that they fought with any Nazis, or unusual creatures, who surely have nothing to do with the noble German people.

Reading carefully “Gazeta Wyborcza” we will besides learn what function Poles played in the war – they spent all hebrew in the hands of the Gestapo all along with the stubbornness of the maniac, and those who did not have time to denounce were smoking in barns. After the war they expelled mediocre Germans from their heimats in Silesia and Pomerania. In short – the war was strange, it was not peculiarly known who won, the worst were the barbarian Russians, and Poles behind them.

When I crossed the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast on 3 May, I was amazed to see that the inhabitants of this Russian enclave for the Second planet War looked completely different. For them, it was a conflict of good with evil – their homeland with the Nazi invader, or Germans. Arm in arm with the russian people, allied armies and various guerrillas fought against the Nazis, including Poland, about which all residents met talk with respect. Even more respect is given to Poles fighting in the 1st Army of the Polish Army under General Berling, and the march of Konstanty Rokossowski – an cultural Pole born in Warsaw – is considered a national hero. They besides have a completely different approach to the festival itself – on each building next to the state flag is the Flag of Victory, a replica of the flag of the 150th firearm Division, which 3 russian soldiers blocked on the Reichstag dome on May 1, 1945. The public buildings are decorated with commemorative symbolism – the slogans are: “We remember!” and “We are proud!”.

Another crucial difference is the almost full deficiency of references to modernity. Polish media cannot print an article on the celebration of triumph Day without referring to the war in Ukraine. And usually this mention is the majority of the article. Russian newspapers in the week before triumph Day compose about winning battles, heroes and veterans. The Stalingrad Battle, which is simply a turning point in the past of planet War II, is the blockade of Leningrad, a symbol of civilian opposition and the capture of Berlin. The comparison of the large Patriotic War to the conflict that is taking place in Ukraine present is uncommon and mostly concerns the ideology of the modern Ukrainian state. It is amazing that in Ukraine, where 16 percent of the population died during planet War II (the highest percent of all russian republics after Belarus) present the Nazi collaborators of UPA and SS Galizien are glorified.

Upon arrival in Moscow, the symbolism of the upcoming vacation is even more apparent – on the lanterns are the banners of Victory, and the anniversary symbolism adorns almost all site. There are besides difficulties in regular communication – Red Square is closed on 4 May, adjacent streets are impassable. Trial parades are held respective times. On the evening I was heading to a hotel downtown, the road cut through a column of tanks. The journey took about an hour, and along the way a large crowd of residents gathered – any wanted to see military technique, others eagerly waited for the street to reopen.

The deficiency of St. George ribbons among average residents is noticeable, and they are worn almost exclusively by employees in service outfits. A friend of the writer who lived in Moscow for respective years advises me to go to the city center, in the area of Red – there the vacation atmosphere will be more palpable. In fact, after leaving the subway, I see a group of young people, most likely a school journey that sings “Catius” together, and plays it on accordion with an old man’s orders. The patriotic repertoire dominates almost all street players. An exhibition dedicated to the large Patriotic War was opened in the Red State Historical Museum located in the area. I find many interesting exhibits, mostly documents, but attendance is moderate. The GUM is the most celebrated department store in Moscow. There the vacation atmosphere is completely imperceptible, commercialism and eliteism dominates, and most present are tourists admiring the beautiful architecture of the building. The deficiency of interest in young people in past is astonishing. I have not met anyone under the age of 30 with any symbolism referring to the upcoming holiday, nor have I noticed young people at the museum exhibition. My Moscow friends besides draw attention to this problem, who admit that Russian youth are absolutely indifferent to state affairs, and everyone lives their lives.

Prior to triumph Day, leaders from the next countries of the planet come to Moscow. The most crucial thing is, of course, Xi Jinping, the president of the People's Republic of China, who came to Moscow for a fewer days to sign respective economical contracts outside of viewing the parades. The Russian Newspaper, the authoritative body of the Russian government, published an article by Xi Jinping on the front page, in which he argues that Chinese-Russian relationship is unwavering. At the same time, Xi clearly signalled that China is in favour of peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for territorial integrity, and so Russia has no direct support in the conflict in Ukraine.

In addition to Xi Jinping, leaders of many russian states – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan besides travelled to Moscow. In addition to the president of Belarus, the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Slovakia and the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zeljka Cvijanovic, besides came from Europe. The latter, for unexplained reasons, was completely omitted by Polish media, which regular stated that the only European leaders in Moscow would be Robert Fico and Alexander Vucic. Meanwhile, both Belarus and Bosnia and Herzegovina are in Europe, so there were 4 European guests in Moscow. Asia, apart from Xi Jinping, represented the leaders of Mongolia, Vietnam and Burma. The delegation of the second country I had the pleasance of gathering in the Bolshoi Theatre, which before the triumph Day exhibited ballet for the iconic Leningrad Symphony. Although debutees danced, the performance was very successful.

The president of Brazil, Lula da Silva, besides arrived in Moscow, which must have caused rather a stir in Poland. It turned out that the hero of the planet left who defeated the cruel Jair Bolsonaro and saved Brazil from Fascism, with the joy of visitors to Vladimir Putin. Magdalene Biejat most likely can't get over the fact that her companion has done this. Apart from Lula, Latin America was represented by conventional allies of Russia – Venezuela and Cuba. respective African leaders, the president of Palestine and the leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia besides appeared in Moscow. High-level government delegations sent India, Indonesia, Laos and South Africa to Moscow. This is briefly the global isolation of the Russian Federation.

While leaders from around the planet gathered in Red Square, average Moscowians watched the parade on TV. In homes or collectively – in restaurants or cafes. It was only the crossing of tanks that left Red Square that lured people to the streets. The Christmas atmosphere has become universal. Crowds of residents and tourists greeted tankers and photographed passing machines. The central point of the bottom-up celebration of triumph Day is Maxim Gorky Park – erstwhile veterans gathered there, who mentioned fighting for their homeland. Today, the youngest of them are almost a 100 years old, and the atmosphere in Gorky Park resembles a patriotic picnic – young people dressed in Red Army uniforms sing war songs together, children draw pictures of soldiers and participate in various games. Stragglers trade cooked corn and occasional souvenirs.

In the coming years, the last planet War II veterans will leave, a surviving reminder of these terrible times and the large The victories of many nations of Europe, including Poles and Russians, in the fight against the Nazi invader. The Russians are trying to keep the memory of them, while we have put our heroes on the altar of political games and short-lived alliances.

Daniel Smolinski

photo of cremlin.ru

Think Poland, No. 21-22 (25.05.-106.2025)