Victory Day - Images From St. Petersburg
Celebrating the Promise to NEVER FORGET
There are many things that I absolutely love about Russia and some things that Russians do better than anyone else in the world. One of those things is a Parade.
Nobody knows how to do a parade like Russia and Victory Day is the best of them all. I will be posting all week discussing the importance of Victory Day - May 09, 1945 to Russians. It is much more than the day the Great Patriotic War ended for them. It is so much more. Therefore, it would be a pity to relegate such an important day and celebration to only one post and I will be posting for the next few days pictures, videos, stories, and more.
The toll that the Nazi's put on the Soviet Union are astronomical. The numbers have been debated for years, but here are some of the most recognized figures.
Of the 7 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, over 21% were Soviet Jews
Nearly 9 million Soviet soldiers are confirmed as KIA with another 2.5 million MIA
18 million Soviet Soldiers were removed from duty as wounded or sick
Most estimates put the total Soviet death toll between 30 and 40 million (military & civilian)
The Immortal Regiment
March of the Immortals
No family in Russia is untouched by the war even today. For years, the men and women that served during the war would march on Victory Day parades throughout the Soviet Union. In recent years, the number of these veterans has diminished sharply. In order to carry on their memory and the memory of those that didn't survive the war, a tradition was created to march for them carrying photos. It is known as the Immortal Regiment. In St. Petersburg alone more than 1 million people marched this year.
Never Forget
Спасибо большое вам столь чудесный пост. Вы очень объективны в своих постах. Я разделяю вашу точку зрения. Могу добавить, что движение "Бессмертный полк" проходит по всем странам мира, там где живут русские, это и Канада,Америка, Италия, Франция, Испания, Австралия... И С каждым последующим годом все больше осознаешь какую великую победу одержала Россия, защищая свою страну. И Русские действительно против всяких войн. Но они всегда будут защищать свою Родину.
Great to see you back to your history posts again. I won't be asking many questions this time though. The more I have researched the war the more things haven't added up. It has been hard for me to figure out what is what as there was so much propaganda put out here in the U.S. during and more so even after the war.
It's a shame that so many had to give their lives back then. The one thing that didn't escape my notice was the final straw that led to England and France into attacking Germany (Poland invasion) didn't matter to them at the end of the war that Soviet Russia had also taken part in that. Guessing that by that time though just about everyone was sick of all the bloodshed.
There are probably hundreds of questions I would love to ask you. Probably the largest one, if someday you could write a post on it (as I am sure the answer has many contexts) is how the Russians feel/felt about the whole Soviet expansion beginning with the Bolshevik revolution that was funded by outsiders. It has troubled me for some years when I was going down this rabbit hole trying to make sense of what was going on back then to find out that Disney movie did its part to twist what was a horrible fate for the Duchess Anastasia into nice little profits at the expense of the truth.
I will admit that I had always viewed Russia in a bad context in relation to that war, as well as the Soviet experience that took so many lives. I had never even stopped to consider Russians celebrating the end of the war. I have to laugh at how much I draw inferences from the propaganda that has been filled into my head.
Anyway, I find myself rambling as I fight not to ask a books worth of questions to test Russian perception against American.
Sorry for the delay. It's been a busy couple of days and I barely had time to put up some posts. Great comments and questions as always, I'm going to try and brief.
Both the Finnish War and the annexation of Poland were shocks to many Soviets. It is hard to discern what info they were being fed to justify these expansions. However, most Soviet films and books with a war theme that pre-dated Poland featured the Germans as their enemy. Many of these were even before Hitler came to power. There was some sort of consensus that the Soviet Unions enemy of the future would be Germany. It is really quite remarkable to see the foresight amongst writers and film makers, which means there is probably something there.
Invading Finland and Poland is not so shocking from an overall historical context of Eastern Europe. Poland was often either a puppet for Russia, an adversary, or a puppet of Prussia or the church. Finland was the same. Therefore, I don't think people much cared or they at least believed that those nations would somehow benefit from the Soviet system. Of course, this doesn't excuse the expansion.
The funding of the Bolsheviks is an odd thing. First, they get outside support and then outside support switches to the "Whites" including an invasion of Russia by the U.S. - most people know nothing about this American Expeditionary Force in the north of Russia. Of course, the revolution had a lot of idealists, but most people were just happy to be rid of the Tsars and thought ANYTHING would be better. They especially hated the impact on the country from the Great War. This was the catalyst that threw support behind the revolution more than a political movement. Hence, another reason that Russians hate wars.
Okay. This was a really long answer. I will explore the topic more in a post sometime soon. All the best.
Looks like you were able to get some family time in, much deserved. Hope you were able to unwind a bit.
Looking forward to it. I learn much from your posts. I was unaware that the U.S. had invaded Russia.
Yes, most people aren't aware of the invasion. Partially because it would make us question exactly what the hell we were doing there and the next would be why was it such a disaster? So, the U.S. tried to prop up the "Whites" in a Revolution that had nothing to do with us - How far back do the "string pullers" start controlling our military?
I can't vote on this one, booooo :(
My mind is blown by 2.5 MILLION missing. How do that many people just disappear? (That's purely rhetorical since I've seen how muddled things get in a military in relative peacetime so I can totally imagine the mayhem of war) but still! That's an awful lot of families left behind wondering, always wondering what happened to their loved one(s).
The Immortal Regiment is really moving. It also makes me even more sad that anti-nationalism is such a big fad in our own media. I feel as if Americans as a whole have exceedingly short and capricious memories in contrast to the Russians.
It's really interesting to read posts like this and see the humanness of people that our government and media like to paint as the bogeyman.
I missed you! I was beginning to get worried when I hadn't seen your comments for several days. I know this may shock you, but I have a tendency to piss some people off. ;)
In any event, I'm glad my muse is back.
NO! For real? I AM shocked! Hahahahaha :)
It's really moving to see the pictures of the old soldiers. Surreal or maybe hyper-real. Because their photos are held up above their heads it is very much like they are ancestor spirits coming down to visit. Normally placards are just words and slogans, each of those photos says so much more. I wonder how many people were marching?
Hey there! Glad to see you as always. There were officially over 1 million in Moscow and unofficially over 1 million in St. Petersburg. These, of course, are the two largest Russian cities. However, estimates put the total amount of marchers at over 10 million in the country (about 5% of the population). This doesn't include those that line the streets to watch the parades.
It is definitely a touching scene. There are people of all ages, ethnicities, religions, and political beliefs. This is not a political movement, it is a PEACE movement and one that nearly everyone can get behind and support because the faces on those posters are real.
A little girl was asked how she managed to walk the entire length of the parade (5 km) with her poster and flag in hand (she is only 5). She responded that it was easier than what her great-grandmother did (a triage nurse in the war). I'm writing today about what the small children had to say about Victory Day. Most of them "get it" more than adults.
Talk to you soon.
So good to see posts reflecting emotions we all share. Thanks my friend.
Thanks for sharing these pictures with us and it really reflects an great emotion for this day and the pictures are proving that. Thanks for sharing and wishing you an great day. Stay blessed. 🙂
Thanks for visiting. I'm always happy to see you here. Talk to you soon.
Welcome and thank you. 🙂
They are showing their respects way better than other countries do.
Thanks for commenting. Compared to many countries, yes.
Yeah, Russians are good when it comes to parades ... military, political, historical, memorial and others just as well, as far as I can see from TV.
Of course, what we see on t.v. usually only involves tanks and soldiers.
It must be horrible to live a war. Thank God they are already a free country. But the memory must be unforgettable.
Yes, you are correct about that. Thanks for commenting.
Nice post and good inspiration give every person have how to speak opinion to make life better than every day. Good luck