"This year, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. May 9 in Russia is the greatest and sacrosanct holiday. We are proud of the generation of victors, and we remember their heroism. Our memory is not only a token of respect for the heroic past. It serves for our future, inspires us and strengthens our unity. We are obliged to safeguard the truth about the Victory. Otherwise, what shall we be able to tell our children if lies spread around the world like an epidemic?" he said.

In July 2019, Putin signed a decree on a series of events in 2020 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued an instruction to approve a 116-point plan for the official ceremonies, which include a parade, a fireworks display, visits by foreign guests, Immortal Regiment processions and other events in Moscow. In addition, the unveiling of a Soviet Soldier Memorial in Rzhev (the Tver Region), and the creation of an Alley of Heros on the Malakhov Hill, the opening of an updated exposition of the museum The Battle of Leningrad in Vsevolzhsk (in the Leningrad Region), and national contests and forums are also on the agenda.

75th Victory Anniversary

On May 9, the Nazi German high command signed an act of unconditional capitulation, which heralded an end to the Great Patriotic War, which had begun on June 22, 1941 when Hitler’s Third Reich and its allies invaded the Soviet Union. The Great Patriotic War was the most crucial and decisive part of World War II (1939-1945). Moreover, it was the biggest armed conflict in human history. The USSR lost 27 million people in the war, more than any other nation involved.