1945 — 2025 We remember, we are proud: 50+ tearfully touching pictures of Happy Victory Day

Russians and representatives of other nations, whose grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought side by side with the German invaders, celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War on May 9. And although many participants in the events of those years are no longer alive, the memory of their feat is carefully passed down from generation to generation. Especially for the anniversary of the Victory, Izvestia has made a large selection of greeting cards that can be shared with friends and family during the holiday.

Victory Day is one of the state holidays and days of military glory of Russia. According to President Vladimir Putin, this is a holy holiday for all Russians, as well as residents of the republics of the former Soviet Union. In many of them, as in Russia, it is officially declared a day off.

The significance of this date cannot be overestimated. During the Great Patriotic War (WWII), a wide variety of peoples went through the most difficult trials together, defending their independence and future. The war affected almost every family, and Victory came at the cost of millions of human lives.

The fighting lasted for almost four years, from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945. The Second World War itself (1939-1945), unleashed by Nazi Germany and its allies, became the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind. More than 60 states and 80% of the world's population participated in it.

On the territory of the USSR, fighting on the front stretching from the Barents to the Black Seas went on continuously for 1,418 days and nights. In total, about 26.6 million Soviet citizens died during the years of fighting, including concentration camp prisoners and civilians.

Despite the huge losses, the country withstood, dealing a crushing blow to the enemy. The Red Army defeated the Germans near Moscow, Stalingrad (now Volgograd) and Leningrad (St. Petersburg). The fighters bravely fought on the Kursk Bulge and other areas. The final stage was the Berlin operation, which set the winning point in a bloody war.

Read more about how Soviet soldiers brought Victory closer in the Izvestia special project "80 Days to Victory." It contains full front-line reports, archival reports, photos and articles about the exploits of Russian heroes.

The victory was given to the country at a high price. Unsurprisingly, Victory Day immediately became a national holiday. It was announced by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 8, 1945.

The next morning, announcer Yuri Levitan, whose voice is known to all front-line soldiers, informed the citizens about the surrender of Nazi Germany and the long-awaited victory. People took to the streets en masse, hugged and congratulated each other on the holiday. Many residents of the liberated towns and villages could not hold back their tears.

Every year on May 9, flowers and wreaths are laid at the memorials of soldiers in all Russian cities in memory of the feat of the people, solemn parades, rallies and commemorative actions are organized. The main event is traditionally the Victory Day Parade on Red Square.

On the holiday, a procession of military equipment and military personnel of various branches of the Armed Forces of Russia with the participation of aviation takes place in the center of the capital. The event is broadcast live on federal channels and on street screens.

Lines of wartime letters and songs, including the famous "Katyusha", "Cranes", "Dark Night", "Blue Handkerchief", "Wait for Me" and "Holy War", are played in city parks on the occasion of Victory Day. There are themed photo zones, dance floors and a military field kitchen for visitors.

The symbol of the celebration is the St. George ribbon, the black color of which means gunpowder smoke, and orange — the fire of battles. The ribbons are distributed free of charge by volunteers on the streets as part of the campaign of the same name. It is also used to decorate festive grounds, squares and parks as a sign of memory of the dead and the connection of generations.

For the first time, the St. George Ribbon All-Russian campaign was held on May 9, 2005, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Victory. Since then, it has been held annually.

The theme of Victory is also widely reflected in cinematography and artistic creation. Frontline poets composed touching poems dedicated to May 9, composers wrote inspiring melodies, and artists worked on creating festive posters and postcards.

Illustrated postcards are considered to be the prototype of the first greeting cards. One side contained a small military—themed picture, the other contained a place for writing and lines for an address. At the end of the war, soldiers sent them to their loved ones, informing them of their successes at the front.

Then, in May 1945, art postcards "Happy Victory over Germany!" appeared on sale. The circulation of such cards was small. They depicted mainly orders, medals, battle flags, military equipment and portraits of Stalin. Another distinctive feature of postcards of that time was the absence of a date on May 9th.

The number "9" came into use only in the mid-1960s, when Victory Day was declared not only a holiday, but also a day off. The image was often accompanied by the inscription "Happy Victory Day!".

Postcards of that time depicted the majestic monument "Motherland calls!", opened in 1967 on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, the monument to the Liberator Soldier in Berlin and, of course, the Red Army soldier hoisting the Victory Banner over the Reichstag.

In the 1980s, the postcards were supplemented with soldiers' triangles, St. George ribbons, red carnations, festive fireworks and a white dove as a symbol of peace. Since the holiday is celebrated in May, spring scenes were common — blooming apple orchards, lilac branches, bouquets of tulips.

And nowadays, a postcard remains the most popular way to congratulate on Victory Day. Today, the plots have changed somewhat. Instead of young fighters with machine guns at the ready, images of gray-haired veterans surrounded by schoolchildren and grandchildren are becoming more common.

However, one thing remains unchanged — the memory of the heroes, who still remain symbols of courage, valor and honor. The holiday also serves as a reminder of the terrible consequences of war and the value of peace, uniting descendants in a common desire to preserve freedom for future generations.

At the same time, Victory Day is a native Russian holiday. In the United States and most Western European countries, on the eve of May 9, Germany's surrender day is celebrated, and in September, the day of the end of World War II, which ended with the defeat of Japan in the fall of 1945.

Victory Day postcards are often supplemented with congratulations, expressing gratitude to the veterans for peace and freedom, wishes for a peaceful sky over their heads, well-being and confidence in the future.

Excerpts from popular literary works are used as congratulations, which best reflect the theme of war and the joy of the people who freed themselves from the shackles of Nazism. For example, from the famous poem "Vasily Terkin" by Alexander Tvardovsky and other Soviet authors.

They also quote poems by Rasul Gamzatov, Konstantin Simonov, Arseny Tarkovsky, Yulia Drunina, Olga Bergholts, Anna Akhmatova, Bulat Okudzhava dedicated to the war. Many of these poets became not only eyewitnesses of the events, but also went through the blockade, fire, famine and devastation of the war years.

Poems about the war are not only a poetic, but also a historical legacy. It is thanks to these lines that we can learn what our ancestors went through during the harsh years of the war and how they coped with the trials that befell them.

"Maybe someone else
He'll tell you better than us,
How bitter it is for my native land
Go, hiding in the night.
How difficult it is to protect the spirit of a fighter,
Hiding a little bit in the shadows.
To hear someone else's, enemy's speech
Near Russian villages"

(Alexander Tvardovsky)

"I'm not one, or two, or twenty
I've heard how they send you to your death,
I heard how to get ready for the order
They respond with a short "Yes!".
"Got it!" sounded monosyllabic in my ears.,
It echoed in my ears for a long time.,
It drew a line and ended:
The man was taking a step..."

(Boris Slutsky)

"The rye is swinging uncompressed.
The fighters are walking along it.
We're walking, too, girls.,
They look like guys.
No, it's not the huts that are burning. —
My youth is on fire.
The girls are going to war,
They look like guys."

(Julia Drunina)

"The snow has already melted in five minutes
The overcoat was covered with dust.
He's lying on the ground, tired
Raising your hand with a movement.
He's dead. Nobody knows him.
But we're still halfway there.,
And the glory of the dead inspires
Those who decided to go ahead."

(Konstantin Simonov)

"We don't dream what we want to dream.,
We dream what dreams want.
We still have war dreams.,
Like machine guns, aimed.
And those who are blind dream of fires.,
And a well-fed man dreams of blockade bread."

(Vadim Shefner)

And, of course, on May 9, the lines of the song "Victory Day" by composer David Tukhmanov to the words of Vladimir Kharitonov, which has become a real anthem of the holiday, are heard on all concert venues of the country, on radio and television. You can also choose them as congratulations.

"Victory Day, how far it was from us,
Like an ember melting in an extinguished campfire.
There were miles, charred, covered in dust, —
We brought this day closer as we could.
This Victory Day smelled like gunpowder.
It's a holiday with gray hair at the temples.
It's a joy with tears in your eyes."

However, some people prefer to congratulate you on the occasion in their own words. Izvestia publishes examples of Victory Day greetings in prose, which can be shared on messengers and social networks.

"May 9th is not only a glorious Victory Day. This is a significant date in the life of every citizen, reminding us how important it is to keep peace on earth. This is our task now. Let's keep the main asset, donated by our great-grandfathers!"

"Eternal glory to the heroes who gave us peace, freedom and life! May our generation and the next cherish the peace that came at such a high price. Happy 80th anniversary of the Great Victory!"

"Happy Victory Day! The most important thing I would like to wish on such an important holiday is that the sky is always clear and the sun is shining brightly. That's what our grandfathers fought for. Let's be worthy of our great ancestors for the sake of peace on earth!"

"Congratulations on May 9th! On the 80th anniversary of the Victory, I wish you good health, undying optimism and eternal gratitude to your descendants for the significant contribution that our grandfathers made to the Great Victory!"

"Happy Victory Day! I sincerely wish all of us that every new day brings only good news, and that the destroyed cities, bombings and shell explosions remain only in books about the war."

"Victory Day is a day of remembrance, pride and gratitude. We thank everyone who was able to stand up in difficult times, who defended their homeland and their loved ones. May the memory of the fallen heroes be preserved for centuries, reminding us of the price of freedom and peace!"

"On Victory Day, this great holiday, we remember those who fought at the front and worked in the rear, who gave their lives for peace and did not return from the front. May the feat of our heroes inspire future generations to new achievements for the sake of our common future and the well-being of the country."

"Exactly 80 years ago, the Great Patriotic War ended. And today we celebrate Victory Day, a great celebration of freedom and peace made possible by the heroic deeds of Soviet soldiers! Thank you to our veterans for the peaceful sky and this blooming May!"

"Victory Day is a great holiday when we say thank you to veterans for their lives and the peaceful sky above their heads. On the 80th anniversary of this important event, I would like to wish all of us well-being, prosperity and to cherish the heritage of our ancestors."

"This year the whole country celebrates 80 years of Victory! Congratulations from the bottom of my heart on the greatest day in the history of our Fatherland, a holiday that has no statute of limitations and the right to be forgotten. Happy Victory Day!"

"Happy Victory Day! I wish you peace, happiness and spring mood. May all the troubles that the war brings remain in the past, and the whole year will be like blooming May, filling the air with the scent of spring and fragrant lilac!"

You can send congratulations in verse. This will make it possible to better reveal the essence of the holiday, convey its depth and make the message more original. Here are some examples:

"We honor and remember this day.,
We know it wasn't in vain.
With a sense of joy and sorrow —
Happy Victory Day to you, friends!
Let them remain only in books.
Echoes of terrible days.
And it will always be Great.
Victory is in people's memory!"

"Thank you grandfather for the victory!
For peace and quiet,
For the fact that the sky is blue
Above our head.
Bow to him for his courage,
For your exploits and labors,
For everything that has been done
So that there would be no war."

"Happy great Victory Day!
Even if many years have already passed,
We remember the feat of our grandfathers.
And we are grateful to them for everything!
It's a pity that less every year
There's a parade of them.
May it be forever in the memory of the people
The glory of their feat lives on."

"On Victory Day, I wish,
So that there would be no more war,
So that we never find out,
Devastation, tears and poverty.
This May day is wonderful
He gave me peace and freedom,
So that no one else in the world
I didn't feel the pain of the war!"

"We celebrate Victory Day,
A celebration of brotherhood and goodness.
They are being played on all airwaves again
Songs from early morning.
About how we fought together
Tatar, Russian and Tajik,
How the bread was divided into one for everyone
And together we drove out the enemy!
They kept the world for us.,
So that they don't know any more evil
Our children, grandchildren, mothers
And spring has always bloomed!"

To ensure that as many people as possible can see congratulations, postcards and wishes can be posted on social networks, supplemented with thematic hashtags: #80th Anniversary, #Victory Day, #Victory Day2025 or #happy victory day.

The postcards were prepared by Izvestia using artificial intelligence.