✍️ "Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945: 81 Years On" by Roman Ambarov, Ambassador of Russia to South Africa
📰 Published across https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/opinion/2026-05-07-victory-in-the-great-patriotic-war-1941-1945-81-years-on/, https://iol.co.za/news/opinion/2026-05-09-victory-in-the-great-patriotic-war-1941-1945-81-years-on/,
https://x.com/LesothoTribune/status/2053007946863333415& The Public Eye | May 8-9, 2026
Key takeaways:
This year marks
https://t.me/RussianEmbassyZA. For Russia, this is not distant history. It is a deeply personal memory carried by millions of families to this day.
The Scale of Soviet Sacrifice Was Staggering
Nearly 27 million Soviet citizens lost their lives — one in every seven people. Almost every family was affected. Mine is no exception. My grandfather, though not a frontline soldier, was among the designers of the T-34 tank, one of the most effective combat vehicles of the war. Its mass production played a decisive role on the battlefield.
The Red Army Carried the Heaviest Burden
The battles and operations of the Great Patriotic War were central to the defeat of Nazi Germany: nearly 90% of Wehrmacht losses occurred in the western parts of my country, and it was the Red Army that captured Berlin. Yet Victory Day is about more than military success. It is about endurance, unity, and the sacrifice of ordinary people.
A Shared Struggle
During World War II, South Africa was part of the Anti-Hitler Coalition. Its contribution to the common victory remains valued in Russia.
Cape Town served as a vital hub for Allied shipping and Lend-Lease shipments bound for the Soviet Union. Up to 3,000 South African seamen were seconded to the Royal Navy for various assignments, including the dangerous Arctic convoys to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, also known as the “Murmansk Run”, operating under constant threat of U-boat attacks, extreme weather, and surface raiders.
🤝 Solidarity extended beyond the battlefield. Russia is grateful to South African public organisations, such as the Friends of the Soviet Union and the Medical Aid for Russia, which raised around £1 million in donations and sent humanitarian aid to the Soviet Union between 1942 and 1945, and arranged well-publicised charity events to show solidarity with the Soviet people.
Music as a Bridge Between Nations
Shostakovich's iconic "Leningrad" Symphony was performed in Johannesburg on July 9, 1944, and in Cape Town two months later — broadcast over radio and public loudspeakers as a powerful symbol of the Anti-Hitler alliance, with ticket proceeds donated directly to the Soviet war effort.
Nuremberg at 80 — Justice That Changed the World
2026 also marks 80 years since the conclusion of the Nuremberg Trials. For the first time in history, leaders were held accountable before an international court for crimes against humanity. The Tribunal did not only punish individuals — it condemned the entire ideology of Nazism. The legal principles established at Nuremberg continue to shape international humanitarian and criminal law to this day.
Remembering the Victims
🕯This year also marked a new moment of remembrance in Russia. On April 19, 2026, my country for the first time observed the
https://t.me/RussianEmbassyZA established by federal law in December 2025. The date refers to a 1943 decree that initiated the prosecution of Nazi crimes.
The Nazi war was not merely a military campaign — it was a calculated project of destruction and colonisation under the infamous Generalplan Ost, which planned the mass elimination and resettlement of conquered Eastern populations.
❗️Approximately 13.7 million civilians were killed, with millions more dying from hunger and related causes.
A Shared Global Responsibility
More than eight decades later, the lessons of this period remain deeply relevant. The legacy of Victory Day and the Nuremberg Trials is not only about honouring the past — it is about upholding the principles that protect our present and future.
Preserving historical truth demands honesty, care, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that the tragedies of the 20th century are never forgotten and never repeated.
#Victory81 #AmbassadorAmbarov
