May 6—Over the past weekend, Immortal Regiment marches took place worldwide in early commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of fascism in Europe. Events were held across Europe—in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Rome, Amsterdam, and Stockholm—as well as in countries across the globe, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Argentina, Venezuela, Australia, Türkiye, China, India, and South Korea. For the first time in six years, Washington, D.C. also hosted a march. More events will follow this week, culminating in the central commemoration in Moscow on May 9, with numerous world leaders expected to attend.
These marches honor the immense sacrifices of those who fell in the war, particularly the estimated 27 million citizens of the Soviet Union. Participants carry photographs of their ancestors—heroes of the battle against Nazism, which was originally backed by London. These demonstrations not only commemorate the "Great Mission" undertaken by those who fought, but also serve as a reminder that peace between nations is possible when united by a higher purpose.
On May 2, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova referenced a letter President Franklin Roosevelt wrote to Joseph Stalin during the war, in which Roosevelt praised the Soviet people for their role in the fight: "not only to cover with glory their country’s arms, but to inspire by their example fresh determination among all the United Nations."
Zakharova Uses FDR to Correct Trump on Who Defeated the Nazis
May 6—President Donald Trump’s May 1 remarks attributing victory in World War II solely to the U.S. role sparked strong reactions in Russia, including among members of the Duma. The Russian news agency Avia.pro reported that in response to a request from Fontanka publishing house, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova May 2 provided three statements from U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that reinforced the Soviet Union’s critical role in the war. Zakharova accused Trump of "rewriting history."
The first quote she referenced was from Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat on April 28, 1942, in which he stated: "On the European front, the most important event of the past year has undoubtedly been the crushing counter-offensive of the great Russian army against the powerful German group. Russian troops have destroyed—and continue to destroy—more manpower, aircraft, tanks, and guns of our common enemy than all the other United Nations put together."
Her second reference was to Roosevelt’s letter to Joseph Stalin on February 4, 1943, following the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. Zakharova paraphrased its contents, in which Roosevelt acknowledged that Soviet heroism inspired the Allies to fight with greater determination toward total victory. The full text of the letter affirms: "The 162 days of epic battle for the city which has forever honored your name and the decisive result which all Americans are celebrating today will remain one of the proudest chapters in this war of the peoples united against Nazism and its emulators. The commanders and fighters of your armies at the front and the men and women who have supported them in factory and field have combined not only to cover with glory their country’s arms, but to inspire by their example fresh determination among all the United Nations to bend every energy to bring about the final defeat and unconditional surrender of the common enemy."
Zakharova’s final reference was to Roosevelt’s February 22, 1943, letter to Stalin on the 25th anniversary of the Red Army. She quoted the letter’s concluding statement: "The Red Army and the Russian people certainly forced [Adolf] Hitler’s armed forces to follow the path to final defeat and won the admiration of the people of the United States for a long time."