Speech by Karen Malayan, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Russia to the EU, at the reception on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory

by Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union and Euratom [5-15-2025 published].

Your Excellencies,

Dear colleagues,

Dear friends,

I am very pleased to welcome you all to this solemn event that is of a special, symbolic nature. The Great Patriotic War is one of the key and most tragic events in in the history of my country and in the world history. For 1418 days and nights (3.88 years), the battle against the fascist evil raged on. The long-awaited Victory over Nazism was won through blood, sweat and tears, through sacrifice and suffering of millions of people of all nationalities of the Soviet Union. There is not a single family in our country that was not burned by the fire of war. Today, we remember all the heroes of those times — men, women, the elderly, teenagers and children who endured the war — those who fought on the front lines, toiled on the home front, faced catastrophic hardships and torment in the name of the Great Victory.

It is important to remember that during the war years, despite ideological differences, all anti-fascist forces, including the USSR, the United States and the United Kingdom, demonstrated their wisdom and united in the face of a terrible threat. Resistance movements operated across Western Europe, partisan units fought in Serbia and other countries, while in Asia, China led the struggle against the Japanese militarism. The Victory was won at the cost of enormous human sacrifice. The Soviet Union lost 27 million lives, including 12 million military personnel. The terrible toll of civilian casualties was the result of the genocide policy pursued by the Nazis against the nationalities of the Soviet Union.

I would like to invite you to observe a minute of silence to honour the memory of the citizens of all countries of the world who perished during the Second World War.

We are grateful to all the participants in the fight against fascism and honour the contribution of everyone to our common Victory.

The Victory led to important changes on the world stage. First and foremost, it resulted in the creation of the United Nations that marks its 80th anniversary in 2025. The Global Organisation has become the foundation of the modern system of international relations and remains such to this day. As President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has stated, “It is important to work together to form a more just multipolar world order based on respect for the interests of each other and the right of every country to its own development model.”

The significance of the Victory for Europe also cannot be overestimated. The defeat of Nazism and the shared goal of preventing new conflicts on the European continent gave rise to the process of European integration. Unfortunately, today’s generation of EU leaders has not only lost connection with the ideas of the founding fathers of the European project, but it is also deliberately pursuing a path of disinformation, falsification of historical facts, demolition of monuments to Soviet soldiers and rehabilitation of Nazism, including in Ukraine. The “collective West” turns a blind eye to the violations of the UN Charter by the Kiev regime that seeks to ban and eradicate the Russian language, the Russian culture and the canonical Orthodox Church.

Just as in the middle of the last century, Russia continues to fight and defend the rights of the Russian-speaking population. Guided by the heroism and bravery of our ancestors, we must know and remember the lessons of our shared history. Mutual respect and consideration for each other’s interests must be at the heart of the process of formation of a new reliable architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia and in the world as a whole. One of the key elements of this emerging architecture is the Collective Security Treaty organization, that was established following signing of the Treaty on this day 33 years ago.

Today, we would like to share with you the joy of the celebrations held in Moscow on 9 May on the occasion of the anniversary of the Great Victory. They were attended by 33 countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America; 27 of them were represented at the level of Heads of State. About 10 chiefs of international organisations also arrived in Moscow. Units of the national armed forces of 13 countries took part in the parade on the Red Square. As Russian President Vladimir Putin noted, “We see inspiring evidence of a genuine consolidation around the enduring ideas and values of our common Great Victory in such a wide participation of delegations from foreign countries and international organisations.”

Defending the historical truth about the Second World War has become a truly vital task today. In Russia, the memory of those who forged the Great Victory is sacred. For all of us, this is the most important, the most cherished public and family holiday that carries a profound spiritual and moral meaning. Our fathers and grandfathers sacrificed their lives so that we could live today. Eternal memory to all those who perished in the Great Patriotic War! It is now our duty to preserve peace for the sake of our children and grandchildren!