President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed the law "On the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II in 1939-1945", which will be celebrated in Ukraine on 8 May.
Source: website of the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament)
Details: An explanatory note to the law states that as a civilised, peaceful and democratic European state, Ukraine honours the memory of the heroic achievement of everyone who fought against Nazism, as well as all the victims who were affected by the war – civilians who suffered from the occupation and hostilities, Ostarbeiters, resistance fighters, children of war and others.
It is a duty for the citizens of Ukraine to remember the huge losses it took to secure the victory over Nazism.
In European countries, this victory is annually celebrated on 8 May, the day on which Nazi Germany surrendered, as a commemoration of those killed in World War II.
"This is pure history, without ideological impurities. And this is the history of our people, our allies, the entire free world. Today we are bringing it back to our state," the president said as he submitted the document to parliament.
In March 2015, then President Petro Poroshenko issued a decree designating 8 May as the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation in Ukraine, but 9 May remained the Day of Victory over Nazism in World War II. 8 May was a working day and 9 May remained a public holiday.
Poroshenko then explained this by his desire to unite Ukraine, saying: "When we hear the president of a neighbouring country answer the provocateur's question that the victory could have happened without Ukrainians, it is a split in the general anti-fascist movement, a mockery of the memory of Ukrainians who liberated not only Ukraine but the whole of Europe."
On 2 May 2023, after 9 years of Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine and more than a year of full-scale war, the Verkhovna Rada legislatively recognised the political regime in Russia as "Ruscism" and condemned it.
On 9 May, Russia celebrates Victory Day in the so-called Great Patriotic War.
European countries celebrate Europe Day on 9 May; in Ukraine, Europe Day was celebrated on the third Saturday of May until this year.
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seattle_architect on June 12nd, 2023 at 19:05 UTC »
“Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender came into force at 11:01 p.m. on May 8, 1945, marked as "Victory in Europe Day" by France, Britain and the United States. In Moscow it was already May 9, which became the Soviet Union's "Victory Day".”
stefeu on June 12nd, 2023 at 18:57 UTC »
It's the 8th of May not because they didn't have a day of remembrance and victory over nazism/nazi germany, but because it was the 9th until now. Most of Europe celebrates the defeat of nazism on the 8th, russia on the 9th (due to different time zones, it was the 9th in russia but still the 8th in most of Europe when the nazis formally surrendered).
So this is a symbolic move to budge even closer to Europe and away from russia and not a long overdue beginning of celebrating the defeat of nazi germany as some seem to think.
wrath_of_grunge on June 12nd, 2023 at 17:11 UTC »