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09.05.2022

8 and 9 May: Days of remembrance marking the end of World War II

 
 
Russia May 5, 2022, rehearsal for Victory Day military parade in Vladivostok. Image: Yuri Smityuk/IMAGO/ITAR-TASS

Russia May 5, 2022, rehearsal for Victory Day military parade in Vladivostok. Image: Yuri Smityuk/IMAGO/ITAR-TASS

 

 

 

On this 9 May 2022, Auschwitz survivors across the globe are commemorating all of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian soldiers of the Red Army who liberated them from Auschwitz and led them back into life.

In addition to this, the survivors of the German concentration and extermination camps are remembering the decisive contribution that the peoples of the Soviet Union – together with their allies – made towards liberating Europe from the terror of German Nazi rule.

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee stated: “The survivors are looking at today’s parade in Moscow with deep sadness, anger and bitterness. Their gratitude to their liberators is mixed with sympathy for all of the families who are now suffering under the aggression of the Russian armed forces and the web of lies being spun by Putin and his inner circle.

And in Warsaw Marian Turski, the Polish-Jewish Auschwitz survivor and President of the International Auschwitz Committee said: “I find it impossible to commemorate this year’s day of remembrance on 9 May without experiencing great misgivings. I cannot condone the actions of those who purport to be the successors and heirs of the Red Army, who have invaded Ukraine, are committing war crimes, are killing civilians, and destroying life and infrastructure there. In May 1945 the Red Army was a liberating force. And that is why I shall be going to the cemetery for Russian soldiers in Warsaw and laying flowers there on the graves of the fallen troops. But one thing is certain: we should never forget that in the spring of 2022, the Russian Army is an invading army, an army of aggression.”