The Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, has taken advantage of the commemoration of the victory of the allies over Germany to say that Vladimir Putin's Russia "will be defeated as Nazism was defeated."
Likewise, Zelensky defended the decision to commemorate the end of World War II on May 8, with Western countries, and not on May 9 as Russia usually does.
"It is May 8 when most nations of the world remember the greatness of the victory over the Nazis," Zelensky stressed.
The president also said that he will not allow "the joint victory of the nations of the anti-Hitler coalition" to be instrumentalized by Russia nor will the role of the Ukrainians in this victory be erased.
Until 2015, Ukraine commemorated the triumph over the Nazis on May 9, the same as Russia. He then went on to pay tribute to the victims of the war for two consecutive days, May 8 and 9.
Now, Zelensky's decision ends the tradition of also celebrating May 9 and establishes a relationship between the fight against the Nazis and the fight against the Russian invader.
"We remember the heroism of millions of Ukrainians in the war against Nazism and we see the same heroism in the actions of our soldiers now," he said, adding that, just as then, Ukraine "is not alone" in the fight against an enemy that tries to bring "slavery and destruction."
«We fought then and we fight now so that no one ever again enslaves other nations and destroys other countries. And all those old evils that modern Russia brings back will be defeated as Nazism was defeated," Zelensky stressed.
Zelenskiy's decision reflects the change in attitude of Ukrainians.
According to the latest polls, around 80% of Ukrainians remember the victims of the war on May 8 compared to 13% who prefer to commemorate Victory Day on May 9.
"This is a day to commemorate the victims and emphasize the importance of reconciliation, and not a reason to celebrate war, as is happening now in Russia," Roman Gunda, historian and director of the "Memorial" organization, told EFE. Lviv, which is responsible for preserving the memory of the victims of totalitarian regimes.
According to the Institute of National Remembrance of Ukraine, 8 million people living on its territory, which became "one of the main battlefields in this war," died during World War II.
Millions were shot or sent to Nazi concentration camps or deported to Germany to be used as free labor, while hundreds of settlements were razed.
Mass deportations to Russia's Far East and Central Asia, including all Crimean Tatars, as well as armed repression of the Ukrainian independence resistance, occurred when Soviet troops regained control of Ukrainian territory in 1944.
According to the National Institute of Memory, the commemoration of the victory over Nazism became in Russia a cult intended to "promote war, elevate oneself over other peoples, appropriate the status of "main victor" and justify aggressive acts and ideological mobilization.
“Russia exploits the issue of World War II to justify crimes in Ukraine,” Viktoria Yaremenko, deputy director of the institute, told public broadcaster “Suspilne” on Monday.
With information from Efe
Regarding the mentioned "Ukrainian independence resistance" in the article, it must be clarified that
1) they were full of hatred against Russia (not only because of the millions who died of starvation after Stalin stole all their food in the 30s), and
2) that they welcomed the invading Nazi army with flowers, and helped the Nazis murder all the Jews (remember Babi Yar) and were the worst guardians in the ghettos, concentration and extermination camps (of which there were 40.000 in the Nazi Europe).
Zelensky's speech tells only half-truths, the half that suits them today, when they are already cross-eyed from looking so much towards the West.
The so-called Ukrainian independence resistance was Pro-Nazi; Today they whiten everything there in the East.
Ukrainians welcomed the Nazis with open arms. And on top of that they integrated their army. Poland is attacked but not Ukraine. When Ukraine was an ally to the Nazis. Besides, Ukraine would not be Ukraine as a State if it were not for Russia. Ukraine is an artificial state. They are Russian speakers, that is, Russians, not Ukrainians.