As Russia celebrates Victory Day, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky has invoked imagery similar to his Russian foe, leveraging the memory of the Nazi defeat in World War II as a promise of eventual victory.
Russia will be defeated “as Nazism was,” Zelensky declared in a speech on May 8th.
“All the old evil that modern Russia is bringing back will be defeated just as Nazism was defeated,” President Zelensky said in a video recorded at Kyiv’s World War II memorial and park.
He also said that the Kremlin will be held responsible for “aggression and annexation, occupation and deportation,” as well as “mass murder and torture.”
“All of this will be answered by our victory,” he said.
From Russia to Portugal, May 8th and 9th commemorate the end of World War II, the defeat of Nazism, and European unity, but on different days depending on the groups.
Russia celebrates May 9th as Victory Day, commemorating the surrender of Nazi Germany that brought an end to World War II. Kremlin rhetoric invokes it as a patriotic war that defeated the Nazi enemy. Ukraine has long held the same commemoration, part of its Soviet-era legacy.
But West of Ukraine, the end of World War II—the surrender of Nazi Germany—is marked as May 8th. However, the commemoration of the formation of post-war Europe has superseded that of the victory of some European countries over others, so that May 5th and 9th are commemorated as days of European unity by the Council of Europe and the European Union, respectively, marking important moments in the development of both institutions.
Zelensky is also leveraging the celebration to realign the country away from Russia towards Europe. He announced that he has submitted a bill to the country’s congress to change the commemoration of the end of World War II to May 8th. He also said on Twitter that May 9th would be The Day of Europe.
“Unfortunately, evil has returned. Like 80 years ago evil rushed to our cities and villages, so it is doing now, like back then it killed our people, so it is doing it now,” he tweeted.
Although now it is another aggressor, the goal is the same—enslavement or destruction. And like in the Second World War, we are not alone against evil. We are fighting against it, relying on the joint strength of the nations of the free world. Just as we were approaching our common victory then, so we are doing it now.
He added:
Every year from tomorrow, May 9, we will commemorate our historic unity—the unity of all Europeans who destroyed Nazism and will defeat Ruscism. This will be the Day of Europe, which has supported Ukrainians for all nine years of aggression and 439 days of the full-scale invasion.
The EU Commission president is also visiting Kyiv on the EU’s Europe Day, May 9th.
