Russia and Ukraine commemorate the end of the war in very different ways. While Moscow has continued to politicize the historic event, Kyiv has shifted toward an increasingly Western approach.
Recently, according to Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, turned down an invitation from Berlin Mayor Michael Müller to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony on May 2, alongside representatives from Russia and Belarus. Melnyk pointed to the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine, in which Kyiv views Russia as an occupying force, as the reason for his rejection.
But approaches to how Russia and Ukraine view the end of World War II did not suddenly begin to diverge with Russia's annexation of Crimea or the war in Donbass.
In pictures: World marks 75 years since end of WWII
Victory in Europe Day — or VE Day — marks the day when General Wilhelm Keitel signed the final terms of Nazi Germany's surrender on 8 May 1945, ending World War II in Europe. In many countries VE Day is a holiday.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/The Times/R. Pohle
Remembrance while social distancing
On May 8, 2020, in front of Berlin's Neue Wache memorial to victims of war and dictatorship, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier commemorates Germany's surrender 75 years ago. Brandenburg State Premier Dietmar Woidke, Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Constitutional Court President Andreas Vosskuhle (l. to r.) take part in the ceremony amid the pandemic.
Image: Reuters/H. Hanschke
Masks and social distancing
At the Soviet War Memorial in Berlin's Treptower Park, residents lay flowers on the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany. Here, too, there is no large-scale event, and instead social distancing and protective masks during the coronavirus pandemic. The Soviet Army was the hardest hit when it came to military casualties. Moscow commemorates the millions of victims on May 9.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Russia remembers on May 9
Up to 10.7 million Red Army soldiers were killed during WWII, according to the New Orleans-based National WWII Museum. An air show over Moscow's Red Square marked the 75th anniversary of Victory Day on May 9.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/V. Sharifulin
Pumping up for peace
Michael Fischer-Art, an artist from Leipzig, installed a large, inflatable tank on Berlin's Pariser Platz, next to the Brandenburg Gate. Marking the anniversary of May 8, 1945, he seeks to illustrate the senselessness of war.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Zinken
75 roses along a border fence
Katarzyna Goral, an employee of the Polish Zgorzelec town council, places one of 75 roses onto a border fence at the town's bridge over the Neisse River. Görlitz, a city in Saxony that was part of the former province of Lower Silesia during the war, was divided along the Neisse after World War II. Since then, the eastern part of the city became the Polish town of Zgorzelec.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Kahnert
Soldiers of past and present
WWII veterans and soldiers currently with the army jointly remember the end of the war in Europe and lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Lithuanian Square in Lublin, Poland.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/PAP/W. Jargilo
Shadows of the past
In Ukraine all official commemorations were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to official figures, at least 8 million Ukrainians died during the WWII — a quarter of the population. Passersby stroll past a monument at the open-air World War II Museum in Kiev.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Supinsky
Flags and veterans
In the French city of Lille, too, the commemoration ceremony was forced to adapt to coronavirus restrictions. At the city's square, which was almost completely empty, a WWII veteran salutes the monument for victims of the two world wars.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Spingler
'The war in Germany is over'
In the British town of Crewe, near Manchester, 96-year-old Bernard Morgan greets his neighbors on V-E Day, as a larger commemoration ceremony was not permitted due to COVID-19. As a young man, Morgan was a code and cipher operator for the Royal Air Force who received and printed the first original telex message: "The war in Germany is over."
Image: Getty Images/C. Furlong
75 years on: A warning for the future
Major Andy Reid of the Scots Guards, an infantry regiment in the British Army, plays the bagpipes while two Spitfires thunder over the cliffs of Dover. The low-wing aircraft were used by the Royal Air Force and Allied Air Forces during WWII.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/The Times/R. Pohle
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Russia's most important state holiday
This year's commemorations have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic, and that is especially disappointing for Russia, the country that lost the most lives in the war. While the end of hostilities was never celebrated with pomp in the West, that was decidedly different in the Soviet Union and continues to be the case in Russia.
One major difference is the date marking the official end of the war. Whereas May 8, 1945, the day Nazi Germany signed its surrender in Reims, France, has marked the event in the West, Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9. The later date comes from the fact that Soviet leader Josef Stalin insisted on another signing in Berlin on that date.
The decision to postpone this year's traditional military parade in Russia was very difficult for President Vladimir Putin according to his spokesman. It was not until mid-April, after weeks of sticking to original plans despite the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, that Putin announced no military parades would take place on Red Square in Moscow, nor anywhere else in the country.
This year's celebration was set to be one of the biggest in years, one that would have seen the return of high-ranking foreign guests, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, for the first time since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. Still, according to the Kremlin, the health risks, especially for veterans, were simply too grave to proceed. Now, the only part of the event that is still scheduled to go ahead is the air show element of the celebration.
The air show element of the Victory Parade will go ahead this year, despite the coronavirus crisisImage: Getty Images/AFP/ V. Maximov
Russia inherited the May 9 tradition of "Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War" from the Soviet Union, yet it has undergone a number of changes since the fall of the USSR. In the 1990s, parades took place sporadically and were staged without tanks, missiles and other heavy military machinery.
When Vladimir Putin came to power he took a new tack, unofficially making Victory Day the nation's most important public holiday. From that point, the parade saw ever more soldiers participating, as well as the presentation of the country's most advanced military hardware. Another addition was that of the "Immortal Regiment," which the Kremlin adapted from regional groups marching in the streets carrying pictures of family members who fought in the war. Putin, too, has marched in such processions.
Putin at the front lines of the debate
But the Victory Day parade is not the only forum in which modern Russia eclipses the old Soviet Union when it comes to commemorating World War II. The commemoration of victory over Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany has been expanded into a vehicle for mobilizing vast swaths of Russian society, not only socially, but also politically – the whole fitting seamlessly into Putin's declared ideology of patriotism. Other symbols of this shift can be seen in bumper stickers reading, "Thank grandpa for victory," or, "On to Berlin," as well as a recent increase in the number of new Stalin monuments going up around the country.
Not long ago, Putin interjected himself directly into the debate surrounding the idea of collective memory and the war. In late 2019, he criticized the European Parliament for claiming the Soviet Union had been partially responsible for the outbreak of the waras a result of the non-aggression pact signed by Nazi Germany and the USSR in August 1939 – allowing the two to divide Poland between them.
Putin vehemently denied that assessment, choosing instead to blame Poland, France and the United Kingdom for the start of hostilities as a result of their approval of the 1938 Munich Agreement.
Putin styles himself as a Russian warrior against what he calls the "falsification of history." Moscow author and DW columnist Viktor Jerofejew says the current "war of concepts" will continue as long as Russia sees itself as the "political and historical-ideological heir" of the Soviet Union. Jerofejew says the shift toward a more positive image of Stalin is just one part of this development.
Ukraine moves towards more European tradition
Neighboring Ukraine, which was the second most populous republic in the USSR, has taken an altogether different approach to May 9. From 1991 onward, the country upheld Soviet tradition and continued to commemorate the date, although increasingly without military hardware.
World War II memorials around the globe
Countless memorials and monuments around the world commemorate the heroes and victims of the Second World War, which ended in Europe on May 8, 1945 with the victory of the Allied forces against Nazi Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/T. Uhlemann
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, Russia
Newly married couples come here with flowers, and state guests lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the Kremlin wall. In Russia — because of the time difference — May 9 is celebrated as Victory Day, usually with a big military parade on Red Square. It is however postponed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kumm
Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia
The Soviet Union lost 25 million people in the Second World War, more than any other country. It also has some of the world's largest war memorials: "The Motherland calls" is the name of this statue. Visible from afar, it is 85 meters (279 feet) high and commemorates the Battle of Stalingrad, which raged from August 25, 1942 to February 2, 1943 — one of the bloodiest battles in human history.
Image: picture-alliance/U. Zucchi
Cenotaph in London, United Kingdom
An empty tomb as a monument: Five years ago, on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, heads of state and veterans gathered at the Cenotaph. With the COVID-19 pandemic, such a meeting is not possible this year. The memorial on London's Whitehall government mile was originally erected for the victims of the First World War. Since 1946 it has also been a memorial to the fallen from 1939 to 1945.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/D. Cliff
RAF Bomber Command Memorial in London, UK
The sculpture depicts a Bomber Command crew and is dedicated to the 55,573 Allied aircrew killed in World War II. When this monument was inaugurated in 2012, it caused controversy, since the Royal Air Force's bombing destroyed many German cities right up to the last days of the war and claimed 600,000 lives among the civilian population.
Image: picture-alliance/prisma
Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France
Under the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It commemorates the victims of both world wars. On May 8, French President Emmanuel Macron and high-ranking military officers will lay a wreath, but this year without an audience.
Image: picture-alliance/imagebroker/J. Tzu-chao Lin
American military cemetery at Omaha Beach, France
Just as significant as the day of the German surrender is another important date in France: June 6, 1944. On D-Day, 150,000 Allied soldiers landed in Normandy and opened the Western Front. Numerous memorials, museums and military cemeteries along the coast commemorate one of the most important battles of World War II, which claimed 68,000 lives.
National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, USA
The monument was only inaugurated in 2004 and commemorates the 16 million Americans who fought in the Second World War. Leading to the monumental complex is the Peace Wall with 4,048 gilded stars — one star for 100 fallen. In the US, May 8 is "Victory in Europe Day". The final end of the war is celebrated on August 14, the day of the armistice with Japan.
Image: picture-alliance/imageBROKER/M. Weber
Unconditional Surrender statue in San Diego, USA
It is said to have been on this very day, August 14, 1945, that in celebration of Japan's surrender a US sailor spontaneously kissed a nurse he apparently didn't know on Times Square. The photo published in "Life" magazine became world-famous and served as a model for the "Unconditional Surrender" sculptures, one of them standing in the harbor of San Diego. It sparked a #MeToo debate in 2019.
Image: picture-alliance/Photononstop/P. Turpin
Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan
Every year on August 6 at exactly 8:15 a.m. the Peace Bell of Hiroshima, located in what was once the city's busiest commercial and residential district, sounds to mark the time of the world's first nuclear attack. The ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More than 70 monuments and memorials in the Peace Park commemorate the 146,000 direct and indirect victims of the atom bomb detonation.
Image: Reuters/I. Kato
Yasukini Shrine in Tokyo, Japan
Time and again, high-ranking Japanese politicians visit the Yasukini shrine in Tokyo. Among others, the more than two million fallen Japanese soldiers of the Second World War are honored there. Among them, however, are also 14 convicted and executed war criminals. Countries invaded by Japan, such as South Korea and China, regularly protest against this tribute.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Nogi
Memorial of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, China
On December 13, 1937, Japanese troops conquered the city of Nanjing. This was followed by a massacre that claimed at least 200,000 — according to other estimates, up to 300,000 — Chinese victims within six weeks. The memorial in Nanjing includes a museum with numerous documents, photos and historical film footage as well as a memorial path with footprints of the survivors.
Image: picture-alliance/Dumont/M. Riehle
Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel
"A monument and a name" is the translation of the Hebrew name of the central Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. It is dedicated to the approximately six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis. At the center of the extensive complex is the windowless "Hall of Remembrance," in which an eternal flame burns. The names of the 22 largest death camps are carved into the floor.
In the German capital there are numerous memorials to the Second World War, the most famous being the Holocaust Memorial. Its 2,711 steles commemorate the 6 million murdered Jews in Europe. There was a demand for such a memorial as early as the 1980s, but it was only inaugurated in 2005. By the way, Berlin is the only federal state that has declared May 8 as a public holiday this year.
Image: picture-alliance/Schoening
The Neue Wache (New Guardhouse) in Berlin, Germany
A mother embraces her dead son: the sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz is the focal point in the Neue Wache, Germany's central memorial site for the victims of war and tyranny. All commemoration ceremonies for May 8 have been cancelled, but nevertheless Chancellor Merkel, President Steinmeier and President Schäuble of the Bundestag will lay a wreath here.
Image: picture-alliance/W. Rothermel
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As time went on, there was also an increase in attempts – especially in western Ukraine – to elevate and honor nationalist rebels who fought against the Soviet Union. Such sentiments were controversial as some of those nationalists had in fact collaborated with the occupying Nazis. Some politicians today seek to exploit and instrumentalize the tensions that such efforts have given rise to.
Ukraine then took a very big step away from Soviet tradition under President Petro Poroshenko. Since 2015, the country has observed May 8 as a day of remembrance and reconciliation focusing on the memory of the millions of lives the war took, much like it is in the West. While May 9 remains a national holiday, it marks the end of World War II and not the "Great Patriotic War."
Ukraine is currently in a transitional phase that has had hitches. For instance, bans on Soviet symbols such as the hammer and sickle have been the source of conflict, including some during May 9 marches.
The Saint George's Ribbon is another symbol that was banned in Ukraine in 2017. The black and orange striped ribbon has become a central symbol of Victory Day celebrations in Putin's Russia, where it is worn by veterans, politicians, artists and citizens.
In eastern Ukraine, however, it is also a symbol favored by pro-Russian separatists. That is likely yet another reason the Ukrainian ambassador decided to steer clear of commemorations alongside his Russian colleagues.
This story has been updated to reflect the Munich Agreement was signed in 1938.
