May 04, 2025

Victory Day: Not Just for Russia Anymore


Victory Day: Not Just for Russia Anymore
Finally, something we can agree on. The Russian Life file.

On May 2, BBC reported that U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed the renaming of two holidays. Veterans Day, November 11, would become "Victory in World War I Day," and Victory in Europe (VE) Day, May 8, would become "Victory in World War II Day."

The only caveat: Russia already has Victory Day, and it's coming up May 9. The day difference is caused by the surrender of the German government at 11:01 p.m. Berlin time, 12:01 a.m. Moscow time.

Russia's Victory Day is the country's largest patriotic holiday. It celebrates the Soviet victory in the Second World War and usually involves a massive Red Square military parade complete with music, a fighter-jet flyover, visits from foreign dignitaries, and a keynote by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But lest Trump's proposal should seem too Russia-friendly, his reasoning, that "We won both wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance," flies flat in the face of Russian remembrance of World War II, which focuses on the sacrifice of soldiers and civilians in the face of invasion. A typical Russian response to Trump's assertion would likely be that estimates say Russia lost as many as 20 million people in the war, while the U.S. lost less than 500,000.

Last year's Victory Day parade was disappointingly muted — partly because of an unseasonable snow, and partly from a meager assembly of military machines likely impacted by Russia's ongoing War on Ukraine.

This year's parade, though, promises to be especially impressive. It's the eightieth anniversary of the end of the war, and we expect Putin to pull out all the stops. We'll be sure to cover the parade next week.

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