June 22 – Day of Memory and Sorrow

Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces opening ceremony. June 22, 2020.

Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, Kubinka, Moscow Oblast. [01] [02]

At exactly 4 a.m., after the bell struck, the participants of the action placed candles at the monument to “Mothers of the Winners” and at capsules with soil from the mass graves.

Throughout the day, everyone will be able to join the action and light their candle.

In memory of the victims of the Great Patriotic War, a special service was held in the Main Church of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation |media|
⭕️ 🇷🇺 The “Line of Memory” event, dedicated to preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War, took place on the Crimean Embankment in Moscow, where participants lit 1,418 candles—the number of days the war lasted. |media|
⭕️ 🇷🇺Candles were lit on Mamayev Kurgan as part of the “Tomorrow there was war…” campaign, which is traditionally held on the eve of June, 22 – the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow. |media|
⭕ TASS made a compilation of archive photos for June 22 – Day of Remembrance and Sorrow |media|
⭕ 🎥 Moscow commemorates 83 years since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War on June 22, 1941

1418 candles – marking the number of days of the war – were lit on the banks of the Moskva River. |media|
⭕ On the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, President of Russia Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

The ceremony was attended by veterans of combat operations, servicemen and graduates of military universities. Flowers were also placed at the Eternal Flame by Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. |media|
⭕ 🇲🇩 “Memory Candle” event took place in Chisinau.
Participants lit 1,418 candles – one for each day of the war – and honored the memory of the soldiers with a minute of silence. |media|

⭕ 🕯 June 22 marks the Day of Memory and Sorrow in Russia.

At dawn on June 2️⃣2️⃣, 1941, enemy aviation launched massive attacks on airfields, railway stations, Soviet naval bases and numerous cities along the entire western state border to a depth of up to 250-300 km.

This opened one of the most tragic chapters in our country’s history. The Great Patriotic War broke out.

Hitler had a lightning war in mind. Operation Barbarossa implied a crushing defeat of the Red Army and the defeat of the Soviet Union within a few months with the help of the hitherto faultless blitzkrieg tactics.

Romania, Italy and other countries joined Germany to form a united front against the Soviet Union.

However, the Red Army’s fierce resistance and the efforts of all Soviet people foiled the Third Reich’s plans.

🎙 The news about German invasion and the beginning of the war was announced over the radio. At noon on June 22 the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.Molotov addressed the Soviet citizens with a phrase that went down in history:

“Ours is a righteous cause. The enemy shall be defeated. Victory will be ours”.

The Great Patriotic War lasted 1418 days and nights and ended on May 9, 1945 with the victory of the Soviet Union and the complete rout of the Nazi bloc.

❗️ The Soviet people perished amounts to 40% of all human losses in WWII, i.e. 26.6 million people! Of them, more than 8.7 million died in combat, 7.42 million were intentionally exterminated by the Nazis in the occupied territories, and over 4.1 million died from the atrocious conditions of the occupation regime.

• Since 2009, the day marked by the Candle of Memory nationwide action. Candles are lit throughout Russia in the silence of the night in memory of all those who died during the Great Patriotic War protecting our peaceful life.

Since 2020, an annual nationwide minute of silence has been held at 12:15 Moscow time the exact time when the Soviet government announced Nazi Germany’s invasion.

🔗 Read our full material for more information

#Victory79 #WeRemember

⭕ 🕯 The Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States of America held a memorial event “Candle of Memory” dedicated to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

🕓 At 4 a.m. Moscow time, exactly at the hour when 83 years ago Nazi Germany treacherously attacked the USSR without declaring war, diplomatic mission employees, their family members, compatriots as well as Russian journalists lit candles in memory of 27 million Soviet citizens, who gave their lives for the sake of the Great Victory and a peaceful future.

🎖 Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov in his speech stressed the resilience and unity of the Soviet people, who succeeded in demolishing Hitler’s death machine. The Chief of mission emphasized the decisive role of the Red Army in liberating Europe from the fascist yoke and saving many peoples from extermination. Ambassador Anatoly Antonov called on to cherish and honor the winners’ generation, to preserve the truth about the wartime.

🖼 Сranes soaring in the sky were projected on the façade of the Russian Embassy as a symbol of grief for the perished. Students of the Embassy school cited poems about the hard times of the War and the immortal feat of our ancestors.

🏅 Participants of the event were able to explore the exhibition about the main milestones of the Great Patriotic War. |media|

⭕ 🕯 June 22 is one of the most tragic and sorrowful dates in the history of our country. Eighty-three years ago, the Great Patriotic War began, which lasted 1,418 days and claimed the lives of almost 27 million Soviet citizens.

On this day in 1941 at 3.30am, Nazi Germany attacked our country without a declaration of war. There were massive strikes on airfields, railway hubs and cities to a depth of 250-300 km from the state border. The Soviet-German front became the main front of the Second World War.

📻 “Our cause is just, the enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours!” — these words from the address of the People’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov went down in history, inspired millions to fight the then seemingly unbeatable military machine of the Third Reich and, in the end, turned out to be prophetic. At the cost of irreplaceable losses, our country made a decisive contribution to the defeat of the Third Reich, liberated Europe from the Nazi plague and saved the world.

Eternal glory to those who perished for the freedom and independence of our Motherland! |media|

🎥 © Russian Military Historical Society

#NoStatuteOfLimitations #Victory79