What would Russia's declaration of war on Ukraine mean?
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(CNN Spanish) --
Almost six years after the first German tanks crossed the border to invade Poland, World War II came to an end in Europe as Soviet troops celebrated the capture of Berlin and US forces and the United Kingdom advanced on the north and south of Germany.
It was May 8, 1945 (May 9 for countries in Eastern Europe), and the date is celebrated every year by all the victorious countries in World War II, especially Russia.
What happened in Ukraine during World War II and the existence of the Soviet Union?
The German dictator Adolf Hitler had committed suicide on April 30, 1945, and his representatives finally agreed to sign the unconditional surrender on May 7 in the French city of Reims and before General Dwight Eisenhower, commander of the Allied troops.
The definitive capitulation was signed, however, on May 8, 1945 in Berlin, the capital of the defeated Nazi regime in Germany, in front of representatives of the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
Putin: Russia will continue to strengthen its armed forces 0:39
Although the surrender ceremony took place on May 8, some countries, such as Russia and Belarus, commemorate it on May 9.
This is because when the war in Europe was formally concluded, according to the signed document, on May 8 at 11:01 pm (Berlin time), it was already May 9 in Moscow and other time zones in the East. .
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The act ended the war in Europe after nearly six years and tens of millions of deaths, but it did not completely bring down the curtain on World War II.
Japan, an ally of Germany, continued to fight until September 2, 1945.
What does May 9 mean for Russia?
A military parade has been held every year in Moscow and since Soviet times for Victory Day, and even today Russian leaders traditionally stand at the tomb of Vladimir Lenin in Red Square to watch it, while inviting world leaders to look at their military might.
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The scale is usually impressive.
In 2015, 16,000 soldiers participated, along with 200 armored vehicles and 150 planes, while in 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic forced it to be postponed and reduced in size, 14,000 soldiers participated.
Military vehicles drive through Red Square during the 2021 Moscow Victory Day military parade. (Credit: DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
"May 9 is designed to bluff itself to the local public, to intimidate the opposition and to pander to the dictator of the day," James Nixey, director of the Russia-Eurasia Program at Chatham House, told CNN.
This is especially true given that Russian President Vladimir Putin promotes the view that the Soviet Union was primarily responsible for the victory over Germany in 1945.
In a 2020 article, Putin said that it is "essential to pass on to future generations the memory that the Nazis were defeated first and foremost by the Soviet people and that the representatives of all the republics of the Soviet Union fought together in that heroic battle, both in the front and in the rear".
Carnegie Moscow Center expert Andrei Kolesnikov wrote in an essay that "the (Russian) regime claims to be the direct successor to all of Russia's glorious victories, chief among which is the defeat of Nazism in the 1941 Great Patriotic War." -1945, and thereby becomes immune to criticism," he wrote last year in an essay
T-34 tanks like those used in World War II roll through Red Square in 2021. (Credit: DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
In the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Western officials have long believed that Putin would seize on the day's symbolic significance and propaganda value to herald a military achievement in Ukraine, a major escalation of hostilities, or both.
Putin has an eye for symbolism, having launched the invasion of Ukraine the day after Defender of the Fatherland Day, another crucial military day in Russia.
How do they commemorate the date in the West?
In the United States, Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) is observed on May 8 but is overshadowed by Victory Day, when the defeat of Japan and the definitive end of World War II are commemorated.
This is because the United States clashed with both Germany and Japan during the conflict, and even after the German surrender it continued to fight bloody battles in the Pacific, such as Okinawa, and later dropped the first two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Japan. Nagasaki.
Outgoing French President Francois Hollande renews the eternal flame as French President-elect Emmanuel Macron looks on in 2017 during Victory Day over Nazi Germany.
(Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Instead the Soviet Union, whose achievements Russia continues to commemorate, fought almost exclusively against Nazi Germany.
In Europe, May 8 is commemorated by all the countries that suffered the war, including the United Kingdom, France, Poland and Belgium.
Although Germany does not observe this day, the former German Democratic Republic in the east - and under Soviet influence - celebrated Liberation Day until its fall in 1990, and in some cities, such as Berlin, it is still commemorated.
With information from Jack Guy, Anna Chernova and Germán Padinger.
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