Today’s celebrations in Russian cities conclude the disappointing transformation of Victory Day from being a day to commemorate the tragedy into a genuine celebration of war. In recent years, Vladimir Putin has totally appropriated the nation’s Remembrance Day, turning it into a tool for war propaganda.
The parade in Red Square took place against the backdrop of the ongoing military campaign of the Russian army in Ukraine. According to the latest UN figures, the Russian attack has killed 3,309 civilians, including 234 children. Under the guise of “liberating” Ukraine from the “Nazis”, the Russian army is destroying Ukrainian cities and launching missile strikes on residential buildings, hospitals and train stations. This cannot be justified or explained. Under the pretext of fighting Nazism, the Russian state is copying the rhetoric and methods of the Nazi regime, while the Foreign Minister openly hints that the Jews themselves were responsible for the Holocaust.
The most terrifying war of the twentieth century ended 77 years ago. Yet today, the threat of a nuclear strike from Russia is being seriously discussed.
We consider the actions of the Kremlin a betrayal of the Russian people and of Russia’s national interests, and a desecration of the memory of the more than 26 million Soviet citizens who perished in the Great Patriotic War.
The de facto ban on the use of the word “war” today simply confirms that Russian society absolutely rejects the concept of war, because. despite the propaganda, the memory of 1941–1945 is preserved as a tragedy. Despite threats to their lives and safety, thousands of protesters in Russia are marching under the slogans “No to War”. We call upon our compatriots to take part in the anti-war movement, to come out to anti-war rallies outside Russia and spread the truth in spite of censorship.
Members of the Russian Anti-War Committee:
- Sergei Aleksashenko, economist
- Marat Gelman, gallerist
- Dmitry Gudkov, politician
- Sergey Guriev, economist
- Boris Zimin, businessman
- Garry Kasparov, politician, 13th world chess champion
- Mikhail Kasyanov, politician, former Prime Minister of Russia
- Yevgeny Kiselyov, journalist
- Mikhail Kokorich, entrepreneur, engineer
- Yulia Latynina, writer, journalist
- Elena Lukyanova, lawyer
- Yury Pivovarov, historian, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- Mikhail Khodorkovsky, philanthropist, former political prisoner
- Evgeny Chichvarkin, entrepreneur
- Konstantin Chumakov, scientist
- Viktor Shenderovich, writer