Pictured: Russian ambassador salutes the fallen. Photo credit: Karl Weiss

by New Worker correspondent

Victory Day was, for many years, celebrated in London and in the past veterans, diplomats and local dignitaries joined the capital’s Russian community at a ceremony every year at the Soviet War Memorial in the shadow of the Imperial War Museum in south London. It was sadly called off in 2022 by the Memorial Trust committee soon after the Russian intervention to avoid disruption and possible damage to the monument by Ukrainian fascists and their supporters.

In the following years modest informal tributes were made throughout the day by the Russian diplomatic corps and the ex-pat Russian community in London. But this year it was different, with thousands coming to join the Russian ambassador and diplomats from other former Soviet republics as part of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory on 9th May.

The commemorative event was attended by the Ambassador of Russia to the UK, Andrei Kelin, ambassadors and diplomats from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, staff from the Russian diplomatic corps, students at the general education school at the Embassy, representatives of organisations of veterans and compatriots living in the UK, as well as anti-fascists, solidarity activists and communists, including Theo Russell and other London comrades who placed the NCP’s floral tribute with the others stacked around the Soviet monument.

The Russian ambassador told the media that: “As we understand it, the British still have a historical memory of World War II. Nevertheless, this is completely incompatible with the official position of London, which in all its official speeches does not mention our allied affairs, the anti-Hitler coalition or the fact that we were once together.

“As you know, Ukrainian units took part in the military parade [the official march in London to mark the end of the war in Europe] … that’s why London and I are on different sides of the barricades now. And it’s a very sad thing.

“We, for our part, have never underestimated the importance of the anti-Hitler coalition and interaction with the British during the War. And this memory will remain with us. You can’t unsee it.”

On the same day, an “80 Years of Victory” music and poetry evening was held at the residence of the Head of the Russian delegation, during which famous songs about the Great Patriotic War were performed to the guests.

The leadership of the diplomatic mission noted the crucial role of the peoples of the Soviet Union in liberating Europe from Nazism. Preserving the historical memory of the tragic events of those years is imperative to prevent such a global disaster from ever happening again.