Our Victory: Ukraine in World War II
01 May 2025, 16:34
On the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II
This year, Ukraine and the world commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The global conflict dismantled the existing international order and established a new one, which has endured to this day.
The war had a profound impact on Ukrainians, causing immense destruction and loss of life while also showcasing the significant role our people played in defeating the evil of Nazism. As the largest stateless nation in Europe at the time, Ukrainians lacked the means to create their war narrative. However, the participation of approximately 8 million Ukrainians in the fight alongside the Allies was a crucial factor in the defeat of the Axis powers.
The fiery wave of war swept across Ukrainian lands twice, turning them into a battlefield between the two totalitarian regimes of the time—the Third Reich and the USSR. "Ukraine on Fire" is not just a literary metaphor but a harsh reality of the era.
Caught between a rock and a hard place of Nazism and Communism, Ukraine suffered from unprecedented crimes—the mass extermination and deportation of entire ethnic groups, the enslavement of millions, and the burning of entire settlements. The war claimed the lives of 8 to 10 million of our compatriots, over half of whom were civilians.
For millions of Ukrainians, the German-Soviet War represented yet another devastating setback in their quest for independence. The Act of Restoration of the Ukrainian State, which was proclaimed in Lviv on June 30, 1941, failed to bring the desired freedom and instead led to further repression under a new occupier. Between 1942 and 1943, a reorganization of armed resistance occurred, with the aim of restoring Ukraine's independence, leading to the formation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. This group sought to fulfill the Ukrainian people's right to self-determination. The liberation struggle during the wartime and postwar periods laid a crucial foundation for Ukraine's eventual restoration of independence in 1991.
For decades following the war, Ukrainian history in World War II was shaped by Soviet imperial ideology. Myths surrounding the "Great Patriotic War" and narratives that stressed Russia's sole role in defeating Nazism were imposed on both Ukrainian and global audiences. This manipulation ultimately contributed to the modern imperialist policy of the "Russian world."
Ukraine commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II amidst Russia's full-scale invasion—the largest war in Europe since 1945. Our perspective on the past has never been clearer than it is today. Current circumstances help us acknowledge not only the significance of our ancestors' contributions to defeating Nazism but also the urgent need to resist and overcome its modern manifestation—Ruscism—while defending our right to our history.
To mark this anniversary, the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War are launching the "Our Victory: Ukraine in World War II" information campaign. The goal is to highlight the key events, facts, and consequences of the war in Ukraine. It aims to emphasize the significant contributions of the Ukrainian people to the victory over Nazism and to reflect on the immense sacrifices made by our nation.