Today is May 9th, a day of Great Victory for USSR in Great Fatherland War (also maybe known as Great Patriotic War). This very day in 1945 Germany capitulated.
My dear friends from other countries, I’m totally not sure if you have heard this part of the story, but USSR suffered heaviest losses in whole WW2 – varies from 20 to 40 million people according to various sources. This is the greatest day for Russia, it can be compared to 4th of July for USA.
Unfortunately for us, it’s turning more and more to the some holiday that current generation has little knowledge about. About the fights, about the heroes of the war, about the losses. It happened too long ago, too many veterans already dead. But there is NO family in Russia and whole ex-USSR which had not lost a father, a brother or a son in THE war.
We can discuss the USSR role in starting WW2, but there were decisions made by government and finally they turned against ordinary people.
We are different, we don’t smile that much. We are far too serious and direct, some people call Russians (in the wide meaning) even aggressive. We are not. It’s a tough past, it’s a tough present that made us. Just take a look what people like Matrosov and Maresiev did during the War. This is Russian mentality.
Let’s honor dead by the minute of silence and drink for people who made it through the whole 4 years of hell.