Preparations are beginning for celebrating the 75th anniversary of victory in 2020, which, of course, will be held at a level appropriate to the scale of the feat and the greatness of the spirit of the heroes of that war. One can’t help thinking about it: What does May 9 mean for the peoples who were on the verge of annihilation, and why do some people loathe this holiday today?

As someone who is part of the first postwar generation, who grew up on the stories told by war veterans and family tales about the war, I believe the answers to these questions are obvious. The peoples of the Soviet Union and other countries became the object of the inhuman ideology of Nazism, and then the victim of aggression on behalf of the most powerful, organized and motivated war machine of that time.

At the cost of terrible sacrifices, the Soviet Union made a decisive contribution to defeating Nazi Germany and, jointly with the Allies, liberated Europe from the fascist plague. The victory laid the foundation for the postwar world order based on collective security and state-to-state cooperation, and paved the way to creating the United Nations.

Unfortunately, however, the memory of victory is not sacred to all. It is regrettable that there are individuals in Russia who picked up the myths spread by those who want to bury this memory, and who believe that the time has come to stop solemn celebrations of Victory Day.

Bitter as it is to witness, we see the attempts to discredit the heroes, to artificially generate doubts about the correctness of the path our ancestors followed. Both abroad and in our country we hear that public consciousness in Russia is being militarized, and Victory Day parades and processions are nothing other than imposing bellicose and militaristic sentiment at the state level.

Our detractors seek to diminish the role of the Soviet Union in World War II and portray it if not as the main culprit of the war, then at least as an aggressor, along with Nazi Germany, and spread the theses about “equal responsibility”.

They cynically equate Nazi occupation, which claimed tens of millions of lives, and the crimes committed by collaborationists with the Red Army’s liberating mission.

We hold sacred the contribution of all the Allies to the common victory in that war, and we believe any attempts to drive a wedge between us are disgraceful. But the fire of truth cannot be put out. It was the peoples of the Soviet Union who broke the backbone of the Third Reich. That is a fact.

The attacks on Victory Day and the celebration of the great feat of those who won the terrible war are appalling.

No one will admit this, of course, but here are the facts: the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union let their junior partners, who are using blatant Russophobia to build their careers, get away with quite a lot.

These guys get away with everything, including glorification of Nazi henchmen and hardcore chauvinism toward ethnic Russians and other minorities for the sole purpose of using them to keep Western alliances on anti-Russian positions and to reject a pragmatic dialogue with Moscow on an equal footing.

Today, distorting the past, Western politicians and propagandists want to make the public doubt the fair nature of the world order that was approved in the UN Charter following WWII. They adopted a policy seeking to undermine the existing international legal system and to replace it with a certain “rule-based order”.

This primarily concerns the US and its peculiar perception of 20th century history. The idea of “two good wars” is still widespread there, as a result of which the US secured military dominance in Western Europe and a number of other regions of the world, raised confidence in its strength, experienced an economic boom and became the world leader.

Just as enthusiastically as the Europeans, the Americans are creating an image of “militaristic Russia”. However, most of their own history is a sequence of endless wars of conquest.

We are essentially accused of preserving the memory of our fathers and grandfathers, who laid down their lives in a sacred liberation war, giving them military honors, and celebrating Victory Day widely and with pride. Was it Russia or the Soviet Union that unleashed two world wars? Is it us who today operate an extensive network of military bases that were created to control the entire world?

This year, as we took part in Victory Day celebrations, we once again told everyone willing to listen: “Yes, just like our ancestors we are ready to decisively repel any aggressor. But Russians do not want war, and do not want to go through horror and suffering again.” The historical mission of our nation is to guard peace.

Therefore, we are offering a hand to anyone who wants to be good partners to us. Our Western colleagues have long had our proposals that open realistic ways to overcoming confrontation and putting up a reliable barrier to all those who allow for the possibility of a nuclear war.

I am confident that the citizens of Russia and other countries will be watching parades in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory on May 9, 2020, and joining the ranks of the Immortal Regiment with St. George ribbons attached to their lapels with thoughts of peace in their minds.

The memory of those who fell in battle fighting the enemies of the homeland, the enemies of civilization, will remain alive as long as we mark the great holiday of victorious nations, the holiday of salvation and the holiday of liberation.

***

The writer is Russian foreign minister.

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