Russian parliament speaker slams Ukrainian bill on abolishing WWII Victory Day as national holiday

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - A senior Russian lawmaker on Sunday called a proposal in Ukraine to abolish a national holiday marking the World War II victory over Nazism the "meanest act" toward those who died in the conflict.

"In the Great Patriotic War, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus suffered the most. Millions were killed, cities were destroyed, villages were burned. The memory of the victory unites the people of our countries (Russia and Ukraine). This haunts the current Kyiv regime led by (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy," Russian State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Telegram about the bid to abolish the May 9 Victory Day, introduced in the Soviet Union after World War II.

Accusing Ukraine of trying to destroy its cultural heritage through such recent policies, Volodin repeated Moscow's position that the Russian and Ukrainian cultures could not be divided as they share common values.

Last Monday, a draft law was submitted by lawmakers of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, calling to get "rid of past vestiges" related to the celebration of the Victory Day over Nazism in World War II due to its use by Moscow as "the main ideological justification for its aggression."

"The end of the Second World War on the European front is celebrated on May 8. However, in other countries it is not a holiday, but a day of mourning for tens of millions of dead. The corresponding character should be returned to Ukraine as well," said an explanatory note published by the Verkhovna Rada.

The note underlined that the bill's adoption would leave only the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation on May 8 as a significant date, which was established in 2015 in tribute of the victims of World War II.

In contrast, the May 9 Victory Day over Nazism in World War II commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 and continues to be celebrated by former Soviet states and many other countries on the same day.