by Sputnik [5-9-2025 published].

At the Victory Day Parade held on May 9 in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin congratulated Russian citizens with the triumphant victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945).

Key Takeaways from President Putin’s Victory Day Speech:

• We are united in our admiration for the generation that won the Great Patriotic War.
• Russia, at the cost of millions of lives, won freedom and peace for all of humanity.
• Victory Day is the main holiday for Russia.
• Russia will always be an indestructible barrier to Nazism, will fight the atrocities of its followers.
• All of Russia supports the participants of the special operation, is proud of their fortitude.
• Russia will always remember the lessons of World War II and will never accept the distortion of its events, attempts to justify the executioners, and slander the true victors.
• The complete defeat of Nazi Germany was accomplished by the joint efforts of many countries; Russia highly values the contribution of its allies.
• Russians should emulate the veterans and their determination to defend their homeland.

Putin speech at Victory Day parade: Key takeaways

by RT [5-9-2025 published.

Russia will honor the Soviet sacrifices and continue to fight against ideas such as Nazism, the president has said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the sacrifices of the Soviet people in defeating Nazism, during the annual military parade in Moscow.

This year’s event marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

During the address, the president highlighted the significance of the event, vowing that Russia will “faithfully preserve the memory” of the “glorious” victory over the Nazis. He noted that, as heirs of the victors, Russians celebrate Victory Day as their “most important holiday.”

Here are the key takeaways from Putin’s speech.

Enduring battle against destructive ideas

The president stressed that Russia has always fought against Nazism, Russophobia, and anti-Semitism, and will continue to do so no matter what.

“Russia… will stand in the way of the violence perpetrated by the champions of these aggressive and destructive ideas. Truth and justice are on our side,” he stated, noting that the entire country supports the troops taking part in the military operation against the Kiev regime, which Moscow has long accused of adhering to Nazi ideology.

Remembering the lessons of history

Putin said Russia remembers the lessons of World War II and will not allow the atrocities committed during those years to be repeated.

“We remember the lessons of World War II and will never agree with the distortion of those events or attempts to justify the murderers and slander the true victors,” he stated.

Pledging to uphold the nation’s values

The president vowed to uphold the values and principles that the Soviet people fought for during World War II.

“Our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers saved the Fatherland. And they bequeathed [defending it to us], to stay united and firmly defend our national interests, our thousand-year history, culture, and traditional values – everything that is dear to us, that is sacred to us,” Putin said.

“We will always rely on our unity in battle and in peaceful endeavors, in striving for strategic goals and tackling problems for the benefit of Russia and its greatness and prosperity.”

Recognizing the contribution of the allied forces

Putin credited the European front with “hastening victory” during World War II and said that Russia “highly appreciates” the contribution of the soldiers of the allied armies. He noted, however, that the most “decisive” battles of the war were fought in the Soviet Union.

“The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the enemy’s most savage and relentless assaults,” the president said, adding that it was the Soviet people who “determined the outcome” of World War II through “decisive victories in major battles.”

Honoring war veterans

The president pledged to cherish the tradition of Victory Day and honor the veterans who fought or helped fight the Nazis.

“We will continue to look up to our veterans, taking [an] example from their wholehearted love of the Motherland and commitment to defending our homeland and the values of humanism and justice. We will give these traditions and this great heritage the biggest place in our hearts and will pass them on to future generations,” Putin stated.

TRANSCRIPT of Putin's Speech

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia,

Veterans, guests,

Comrade soldiers and sailors, sergeants and sergeant majors, midshipmen and warrant officers,

Comrade officers, generals and admirals,

I congratulate you on the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War!

Today, we are all united by the feelings of joy and grief, pride and gratitude, and admiration for the generation that crushed Nazism and won freedom and peace for all humanity at the cost of millions of lives.

We faithfully preserve the memory of those historic, glorious events. As the heirs of the victors, today we celebrate Victory Day as the most important holiday for the country, which the entire nation, each family, each of us holds dear.

Our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers saved the Fatherland. And they bequeathed us to defend the Motherland, to stay united and firmly defend our national interests, our thousand-year history, culture and traditional values – everything that is dear to us, that is sacred to us.

We remember the lessons of World War II and will never agree with the distortion of those events or attempts to justify the murderers and slander the true victors.

Our duty is to defend the honour of the Red Army soldiers and commanders, and the heroism of fighters of different ethnic backgrounds who will forever remain Russian soldiers in world history.

Russia has been and will continue to be an indestructible obstacle to Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism, and will stand in the way of the violence perpetrated by the champions of these aggressive and destructive ideas.

Truth and justice are on our side. The whole of Russia, our society and all people support the participants in the special military operation. We are proud of their courage and spirit, and their steely determination that has always brought us victory.

Friends,

The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the enemy’s most savage and relentless assaults. Millions of people, once devoted solely to peaceful labour, took up arms and stood firm to the death on every hill, bridgehead, and defensive line. The outcome of the Second World War was determined by decisive victories in major battles of Moscow and Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge and the Dnieper River, by the courage of the defenders of Belarus, who were the first to face the invader, by staunch resistance at the Brest Fortress and in Mogilev, Odessa, Sevastopol, Murmansk, Tula and Smolensk, by the heroism of the residents of besieged Leningrad, by the bravery of all those who fought on the front lines, in partisan units, and in the underground resistance, as well as by the selfless efforts of those who evacuated plants and factories under enemy fire, and who worked on the home front, giving everything they had, working to the limits of their ability.

The Nazis’ plans to conquer the Soviet Union were shattered by the unshakable unity of the nation. The heroism of the Soviet people was common, and every republic shouldered the shared, immense burden of war.

The contribution of the peoples of Central Asia and the South Caucasus was immense. From these regions came a steady flow of trains delivering everything the front needed. Hospitals were established, and hundreds of thousands of evacuees found a second home there. They were offered shelter, food, and heartfelt compassion.

We honour every veteran of the Great Patriotic War and bow our heads in remembrance of all who gave their lives for Victory, the sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, loved ones, and friends.

We bow our heads before our fallen comrades-in-arms who laid down their lives as heroes in a righteous battle for Russia.

Let us now observe a moment of silence.

(A moment of silence.)

Friends,

Nearly 80 percent of the world’s population were drawn into the fiery orbit of World War II.

The complete defeat of Nazi Germany, militarist Japan and their satellites around the world was achieved through the combined efforts of the Allied Nations.

We will never forget that the opening of the Second Front in Europe, which took place after the decisive battles in the territory of the Soviet Union, hastened Victory. We highly appreciate the contribution made to our common struggle by the Allied armies, members of the Resistance, the courageous people of China, and all those who fought for a peaceful future.

Friends,

We will continue to look up to our veterans, taking example from their wholehearted love of the Motherland and commitment to defending our homeland and the values of humanism and justice. We will give these traditions and this great heritage the biggest place in our hearts and will pass them on to future generations.

We will always rely on our unity in battle and in peaceful endeavours, in striving for strategic goals and tackling problems for the benefit of Russia and its greatness and prosperity.

Glory to the victorious nation!

Happy holiday!

Happy Victory Day!

Hurrah!

FACTBOX: Key facts and figures about Russia’s Victory Day

by TASS [5-8-2025 published].

Military parades have been held on Moscow’s Red Square since 1995 accompanied by the passage of heavy military hardware since 2008.

TASS-FACTBOX. Russia annually celebrates May 9 as Victory Day. At 12:43 a.m. Moscow time on May 9, 1945, the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of Nazi Germany was signed, which ended the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

TASS has put together key facts and figures about Victory Day

Memorable date

Russia celebrates Victory Day pursuant to the Federal Law "On Days of Military Glory and Memorable Dates of Russia" signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin on March 13, 1995. Initially, the date was set by a decree of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet of May 8, 1945. In 1945-1947, it was a day-off and then declared a working day (by a decree of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet of December 23, 1947) and in 1965 it again became a day-off (pursuant to a decree by the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet of April 25, 1965).

The procedure of celebrating Victory Day is set forth in the Federal Law of May 19, 1995 "On Immortalizing the Victory of the Soviet People in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War." Pursuant to this law, military parades involving armaments and military hardware and artillery fireworks are held on May 9 in Moscow, hero cities and cities accommodating headquarters of military districts, fleets, combined arms armies and the Caspian flotilla.

In addition, festive processions, gatherings, assemblies and reception ceremonies are held across Russia on May 9 to honor veterans of the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War.

In contemporary Russia, military parades have been held on Moscow’s Red Square since 1995 accompanied by the passage of heavy military hardware since 2008. In 2020, all festive events in Moscow were put off or transformed into the online format due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, except for the fly-past and fireworks. The military parade on Moscow’s Red Square took place on June 24 that year.

In 2023-2024, May 9 Victory Day parades were cancelled in some Russian regions for security reasons. The military parade on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, 2024 involved more than 9,000 troops (including a parade unit of about 1,000 combatants of the special military operation in Ukraine), 75 weapons systems and combat aircraft.

War casualties

The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people during the Great Patriotic War (40% of all human losses in World War II), with civilian deaths accounting for the larger part of these losses. According to data of the Extraordinary State Commission for the Establishment and Investigation of Atrocities of the German Fascist Invaders, the German troops destroyed fully or partially over 1,700 cities and towns, more than 70,000 villages and settlements in the USSR. Direct damage to the state and the population amounted to 679 billion rubles in 1941 prices.

Heroes of the Soviet Union

A total of 11,657 people were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for heroic deeds during the Great Patriotic War (3,051 of them posthumously), including 95 women and 44 foreign nationals. Of this number, 159 people were bestowed with this title twice, including 154 individuals who received this award two times, three people who were awarded it three times (fighter pilots Ivan Kozhedub and Alexander Pokryshkin and military commander Semyon Budyonny) and two people who were awarded it four times (military commander Georgy Zhukov and CPSU Central Committee Secretary General Leonid Brezhnev). Diving specialist, Captain 3rd Rank Leonid Solodkov became the last Hero of the Soviet Union on December 24, 1991.

As of May 8, 2025, Soviet lawyer and statesman Boris Kravtsov (Moscow) is the last of the living Heroes of the Soviet Union who was awarded this title during the Great Patriotic War. In 2008, Soviet artillerist Pavel Syutkin living in Sochi in the Krasnodar Region became the last Hero of Russia who received this title in his lifetime for heroic deeds during the Great Patriotic War.

In 2024, war veteran Ibrahim-Pasha Sadykov (living in Makhachkala) became the last Hero of Russia who received this title in his lifetime for heroic deeds in the Great Patriotic War.

War veterans

According to data of Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, there were about 7,000 veterans of the Great Patriotic War living in Russia as of early 2025. Pursuant to effective legislation, the war veteran status also extends to home front workers, widows of war participants, former concentration camp prisoners, residents of besieged Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg) and Sevastopol, and also residents of besieged Stalingrad (currently Volgograd) who received this status in April 2023.

Victory jubilees

For the first time, the jubilee of 20 years of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was widely celebrated in the Soviet Union in 1965. Subsequently, large-scale festive events were held in the USSR also in 1975 and 1985. Non-jubilee dates of the Victory were celebrated more modestly and the celebration was limited to a festive gathering in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. The Soviet leadership invited representatives of the heads of socialist countries and the heads of foreign Communist and left-wing parties to all jubilee festivities. In 1975, representatives of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition came to the USSR.

Russia has kept the tradition of inviting the heads of foreign states to the celebration of Victory jubilees, with the only exception in 2000.