Victory Day in London

By New Worker correspondent

Victory Day is a public holiday in Russia and most of the former Soviet republics, and in the past members of the Russian ex-pat community have traditionally joined the ceremony that’s held every year at the Soviet War Memorial in the shadow of the Imperial War Museum in south London.

This year the Soviet War Memorial Trust had been planning a large-scale event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Allied Victory over Nazi Germany but that was called off because of the coronavirus crisis. It was replaced with a solemn diplomatic ceremony that was held last Saturday to honour all those who fell in the struggle to defeat Nazi Germany in the Second World War. 

Ambassadors representing seven countries of the former USSR – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzia, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – gathered for the event organised by the Soviet War Memorial Trust (SWMT). Following the laying of wreaths, the Russian Ambassador delivered a short address, a silence was observed and the Exhortation was recited. Ralph Gibson laid a wreath on behalf of the SWMT and all supporters of the Memorial who could not be present due to the current restrictions. The event was organised in consultation with the Mayor of Southwark's office, the Metropolitan Police, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The Russian Ambassador, Andrei Kelin, noted the decisive contribution to victory made by the Soviet Union: but at a tremendous cost – 27 million Soviet people perished, and thousands of cities, towns and villages were destroyed. He also paid tribute to all those who served in the Arctic Convoys that supplied essential supplies to the Soviet Union and all Russia’s allies in the anti-Hitler coalition. “We pay tribute to everyone who died in fighting for the freedom of humanity. We will always remember and be forever grateful to the veterans of World War Two who brought us peace while selflessly fighting the enemy,” he said.

Anne, the Princess Royal, who had intended to be present, sent a message to the participants: “It is vital that we recognise the incredible sacrifice made by the peoples of the former Soviet Union. Few people fought more bravely, or suffered more grievously for the price of victory.”

The SWMT Chair Philip Matthews drew attention, in his address to the ambassadors, to the Soviet prisoners-of-war who died in the Channel Islands who were used by the Nazi occupiers as slave labour. He noted that the Islands mark 9^th May as their liberation day.

Saturday's ceremony marked the 21st anniversary of the unveiling in 1999 of the Soviet War Memorial, located in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park that surrounds the Imperial War Museum in Southwark. Funded by public subscription in Britain and the Russian Federation, the Memorial has become a focal point for people from all over the former USSR and the UK.