Victory Day
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Victory Day (Russian: День Победы, Den' Pobedy) marks the capitulation of Nazi forces to the Soviet Union and other principal Allied nations in Berlin on May 8, 1945. It is celebrated in the successor states to the Soviet Union on May 9, the date when the Germans specifically surrender to the Soviet Union, especially in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, concluding the Great Patriotic War. The day is most prominently celebrated in Moscow with a traditional military parade on Red Square.
Although most western European countries mark V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) on 8 May, that only marks the day after the German surrender to the UK, France and the United States. The Red Army's command however insisted that the Germans specifically surrender to the Soviet Union, which contributed most to the defeat of Nazi Germany, and held another surrender ceremony late on 8 May. Field-Marshal Wilhelm Keitel submitted the capitulation of the Wehrmacht to the Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov in the Red Army headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst.
In the countries of the European Union, May 9 is marked as Europe Day, to mark the publication of the Schuman declaration in 1950 - which led to the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community.
See also
External links
- Still jostling after all these years, The Economist May 10th 2005 (http://economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3956125)
- Interactive map of the World War II (http://www.pobediteli.ru/) (in Russian)cv:Ҫӗнтерӳ Кунӗ
es:Día de la Victoria fi:Voitonpäivä nl:Dag van de Overwinning ru:День Победы sr:Дан победе