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.

You Might Also Like

A Memory Battle for Lubyanka Square
  • March 14, 2021

A Memory Battle for Lubyanka Square

The hoopla surrounding a new monument at a controversial location in central Moscow highlights the importance of history for Russia – and ourselves.
Searching for Nazis
  • June 05, 2022

Searching for Nazis

Putin says he invaded Ukraine to root out Nazis. Zelensky compares the defense of Ukraine to the heroism of the 1940s. Can both be right? No. No, they can't.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955