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80th anniversary of victory over Nazism, preservation of historical truth
Today Nazism is once again rearing its head in Europe.
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Russian activists take part in an “Immortal Regiment“ march on Saturday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the “Great Patriotic War", the Soviet victory over the Nazis in World War II, in Washington, DC. (AFP/Amid Farahi)
O
n May 9, the people of the Russian Federation, our neighbors, members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and anti-Hitler allies commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War (better known as World War II for the rest of the world).
The world, particularly Europe and especially the Soviet people paid the highest possible price for the victory over Nazism. Among 62 nations that participated in WWII, the former Soviet Union took the heaviest blow, losing almost 27 million human lives. Hundreds of cities, towns, villages, factories, mines, countless kilometers of railways and overall national wealth of inestimable value were lost in warfare.
In this atrocious 20th century conflict, Russia and other countries that were part of the Soviet Union as republics fought not only Nazi Germany and its satellites. In total, the German Wehrmacht and SS units included more than two million citizens of European States, mostly volunteers.
Substantial military units that fought on the Eastern Front were formed in Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Romania, Spain, the Netherlands and the present-day territories of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
It was the Soviet people that absorbed the brunt of the Nazi invasion, becoming the main barrier to the spread of fascist domination upon the nations of the world. Three fourths of the German armed forces were defeated on the German-Soviet Front.
During the intense battles on the outskirts of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk and other Soviet territories, the German army and its collaborators suffered major defeats. Nearly 70 percent of Nazi losses throughout the entire course of WWII occurred in fierce battles with the Soviet soldiers. Overall, the German death toll on the Soviet front alone was four to six times greater than that of the West European and Mediterranean fronts combined.
In memorable May of 1945, amid the wave of universal jubilation, it seemed that Nazism had been eradicated forever. However, the roots and the breeding ground remained, and today Nazism is once again rearing its head in Europe.
