Dear Friends and Supporters,

Today, on the 8th and 9th of May, we mark the 80th Anniversary of the Great Victory in World War II.

“Eternal glory!
Let us remember each by name,
let us recall with our sorrow…
This is needed —
not for the dead!
This is needed — for the living! ” – Robert Rozhdestvensky
“Requiem” (Eternal Glory to the Heroes)

Please, always remember those to whom we owe our freedom and our lives — without them, most of us would not even have been born.

The picture of this post The image in this post – “Cranes” – accompanies a heartbreaking song that became a symbol of the tragedy of soldiers who never returned from war.

It was inspired by the true and devastating story of the Gazdanov family, from a small mountain village in Ossetia. All seven brothers went to the front… and none returned.

After the third “pokhorónka” (military death notice), the mother – who every day stood by the road in their mountain village in Ossetia, in the Caucasus Mountains, waiting for letters from her sons – could no longer bear the pain. Her heart broke, and she died.

When the seventh death notice arrived, the village postman refused to deliver it. The village elders, dressed in mourning, took it upon themselves to bring it to the Gazdanov home.

There, the father was sitting on the doorstep, holding his only granddaughter – the daughter of the one son who had managed to marry before the war – and beside him stood his pregnant daughter-in-law.

Seeing the approaching funeral procession, he realized everything… and died before they could even speak.

“It seems to me sometimes that those who perished
Upon the blood-soaked battlefields of old,
Did not lie down into the earth to slumber,
But turned into white cranes, so brave and bold.“

The full story of Gadzamonv’s family tragedy is here.

Be aware of the growing danger of neo-Nazism rising across the world.
Please, commemorate this day with tears — as the famous song says:
“Victory Day is a celebration with tears in our eyes.”

Odessa, 9 May 1945 — my mother, who was seven years old, said it was the happiest day of her life.
What a powerful moment it was to read the exact same words from Mrs. Eva Schloss, the step-sister of Anne Frank, who was liberated from Auschwitz and relocated to Odessa until the war ended.

Please remember —
The victory cost 27 million lives in the Soviet Union and 75 to 85 million lives worldwide.
These are not just numbers. These were real people.

Both our grandfathers fought in World War II — both as volunteers. Mandatory mobilization applied to those born between 1905 and 1918, but Yuri’s grandfather was younger, and mine was older — yet both chose to go. Both served as artillerymen, both were heroes. My grandfather was in naval artillery. They returned with awards, pride, and, sadly, with lifelong disabilities.

Yura’s grandfather, Tokar Alexai Afanasievitch (1920 – 1995). He returned only in 1946 – he fought with the Banderites who were hiding in the forests, suffered from the nightmare of the army until the end of his life and said that the perverted cruelty of the Banderites did not go into any kind of confrontation with the Hitlerites.

My grandfather, Litvak Vladimir Isaakovich (19 March 1903 – 27 November 1992).

My aunt’s husband’s father, Gluzman Yuzef (Shabsa) Borukhovich, born in 1908. Boris Gluzman he was a war child — born in 1944 to a mother and father who were both fighting in the war.

So many boys never kissed, so many girls never kissed…
And those heartbreaking stories — like the one of seven brothers, their mother and father… a grief that still echoes…
Remember. Don’t be ashamed of your tears. Today, they are a must.

Please — never forget. Never forgive.

As Dan Bongino writes in his last book, “Follow the Money” — yes, follow the money.
Trace the dirty banks and shadowy funds that helped Nazis escape and prosper.
Among the leaders in that shameful chain: UBS, and now its newly “adopted” Credit Suisse.

But justice and goodwill will also win.

World War II lives in our veins, our DNA, in every breath we take, in our everyday thoughts. We will never forget. We will never forgive. Each and every Nazi must be prosecuted and punished — both our grandfathers knew that. In the name of all millions who sacrificed their lives.

So today, celebrate, and maybe take a 30-gram shot of vodka in memory of those who gave their lives, who gave their blood, so that we could live today.

There was a great parade in Moscow today, as well as in many other cities. Around the world, people walked, lit candles, carried portraits, and manifested their gratitude and memories — in Germany, Scotland, Italy, France, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Israel, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Serbia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Greece, and many more. Across continents, the spirit of remembrance lives on — the legacy of courage and sacrifice remains forever in our hearts.

As this picture says: May there be Peace in the Whole World! Congratulations on Victory Day!

Please share. Please pray.

With blessings,
Irina