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| Military parade in St. Petersburg. –Photo RIA Novosti |
In commemoration of the 81st anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War
On May 9th, 2026, in Russia we celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and of the Victory of entire world over fascism. The Second World War became the greatest tragedy in the human history. During the war the Soviet Union was the main battleground in Europe, standing shoulder to shoulder with China fought in the Far East. It was the USSR that took the main blow of Hitler’s Germany and satellites united under its banners and played the key role in destruction of fascism and militarism. Soviet people, having overcome the hardships created by the treacherous invasion, having endured through all horrors of that war, engaged in fierce combat with aggressors and paid the cost of innumerable lives to gain the Great Victory.
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| Military parade commemorating Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 on Red Square in Moscow. –Photohost Agency |
This triumph was ultimately significant for the whole world – the defeat of Nazi Germany and militaristic Japan signified the end of claims of the disciples of the inhumane ideology of fascism to global domination, their intentions to enslave whole nations.
Today, together with friendly and like-minded states Russia share the common mission of all responsible and clear-thinking powers – to do everything to keep the reliable historical memory about the Second World War. In our country we will always remember the greatest heroic deeds of the peoples of Soviet Union, China and other Allied Countries, which successfully defended peace on our planet. On May 9th we commemorate the 27 million Soviet soldiers, who lost their lives fighting for freedom and independence of future generations, as well as innocent peaceful civilians killed. We express our deep respect to frontline warriors and workers of the home front for heroism they showed in combat and toils during the years of war. Special attention in Russia is paid to upbringing youth using the example of older generations, with adherence to moral values of patriotism, duty to Motherland and own people, readiness for self-sacrifice for the sake of her future and prosperity.
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| The Lao military personnel who took part in the military parade on Red Square, Moscow, in 2025 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. –Photo RIA Novosti |
Unfortunately, during the past eight decades some have already forgotten the lesson of that terrible war. And today we have to once again decisively safeguard the Victory in the Second World War, prevent the attempts to falsify its history, to diminish or even to deny the historical contribution of the Soviet Union in bringing Victory, to slander the memory about the liberators. We see as many countries overtly exonerate the ideology of nazism and racial supremacy, present nazis and their collaborators as heroes. Neonazism and military revanchisme raise head leading to escalation of different forms of racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and resulting intolerance. The most outrageous example of resurgent Nazism is the denial of Russian-speaking people their right to use native language, to uphold traditional beliefs, the burning of books by the great Russian writers, the desecration and destruction of monuments – those in memory of victims and heroes of the Second World War and even based on national identity.
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| The Victory Day Parade in the USSR was a parade held on June 24, 1945, in Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War. –Photo RIA Novosti |
In this circumstance Russia consistently calls on international community to respect and protect the principles aimed at preventing warmongering, genocide, war crimes, torture and other crimes against humanity, which were developed by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. The verdicts of both tribunals constitute an unshakeable and irrevocable foundation of the modern international law and order.
On this day, being the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and citizen of Russia, I am especially glad to realise that our two countries are on the same side of world’s history, united in care for the past and in devotion to the tasks of keeping historical truth and suppressing the attempts to distort it.
The Lao people have endured all burdens of war during the years of struggle for national liberation against foreign aggressors, suffered casualties – and still does – due to the fact that more than 3 million bombs have been dropped on Laos, and many of them remain in the ground, continuing to pose risks to the safety and well-being of local communities.
It is during that time most difficult for Laos that the spiritual closeness of our geographically distant peoples emerged – the Soviet Union took active part in 1953 Geneva Convention that put an end to the colonialism in Indochina, provided largescale assistance to Lao patriotic forces during the “undeclared war”. contributing to their victory, and after the proclamation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic helped secure its defense capabilities and economic development.
Russia expresses deep gratitude to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for immortalizing the heroic deeds of the Soviet pilots-internationalists in monuments erected in 2022 in Vientiane and the city of Pek, the province of Xiengkhouang. We welcome the independent and sensible policy of Laos, that in cooperation with Russia and other like-minded states, including countries within the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, consistently adopts on the international arena the resolutions of the Global Organisation and its bodies on the combating the glorification of Nazism, neocolonialism in all its forms and manifestations, on the importance of international pacts on human rights and many others.
In 2025 Russia and Laos have celebrated many significant national and bilateral anniversaries – the 70th Anniversary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, 65th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries, 50th Anniversary of the proclamation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. A year ago, a representative Lao delegation, which included H.E. Mr Thongsavan Phomvihane, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Army General Khamlieng Outhakaisone, the Minister of National Defense – both of whom currently hold the posts of Deputy Prime Minister, participated in the May 9th celebrations in Moscow. The detachment of the Lao People’s Army has paraded on the Red Square. H.E. Mr Thongloun Sisoulith, the President of the Lao PDR paid an official visit to Moscow (July), H.E. Mr Sonexay Siphandone, the Prime Minister of the Lao PDR, took part in Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok (September). Russian delegations headed by H.E. Mr Nikolai Zhuravlev, the Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and H.E. Mr Vasily Osmakov, the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, took part in the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the Lao PDR (December). H.E. Mr Sergei Shoigu, the Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council of the Russian Federation, also visited Vientiane (December).
This year at the solemn events on the occasion of Victory Day of May 9th we will be welcoming in Russia H.E. Mr Thongloun Sisoulith, the President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
This intensive, confident dialogue on high and highest levels promotes to the further development of partnership between Russia and Laos in many spheres: defense and security, international and regional coordination, including within the UN and Russia-ASEAN dialogue partnership, multifaceted economic cooperation, education and human resources, humanitarian exchanges. We are sincerely hoping that on this path we could bring new quality substance to and elevate to a new level our ties, whose traditionally friendly and brotherly character is enshrined in the Treaty on the Principles of Friendly Relations of March 9th, 1994 and the Declaration of Strategic Partnership in Asia-Pacific Region of October 13th, 2011.
It is my conviction that the Russian-Lao cooperation will continue to contribute to the strengthening of international justice, protecting of the post-war world order together with peace-loving peoples of all states for the sake of beautiful future of our two countries and all humanity.
The article was written by H.E. Mr Sergei Zhestkii, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
(Latest Update May 8, 2026)
