The Kremlin stages parades and proclaims: "We can do it again", glorifying the very idea of war and domination. Ukraine, at the same time, honours the victims of World War II and serves as a solemn reminder of the need to prevent future wars.
While Russia uses its twisted version of history to justify its invasion, Ukraine fights not only for its land, but also for the very idea of "Never again."
When Memory Becomes a Weapon: Russia's Use of WWII
For decades, Moscow has claimed a monopoly on victory in WWII, erasing the sacrifices of other nations, including Ukraine.
Under Putin, this narrative has been weaponised. Victory Day in Russia is no longer about remembering the fallen but about showcasing power.
The dead are not mourned - they are used to inspire future conquests. This ideology directly feeds the current invasion of Ukraine.
Slogans like "We can do it again," "To Berlin," "Conquering the Reichstag," "To Paris," "To Warsaw,"
and especially "Chasing German women"
- an openly provocative reference to the mass rapes committed by Soviet soldiers in 1945 - expose Russia's militarised and misogynistic approach to war memory.
These phrases and some like "Thanks to Grandpa for the Victory"
(which erases the role of women in the victory) and "Trophy"
(often seen on cars to celebrate looting) not only glorify violence but also serve as propaganda tools to justify Russia's current aggression and promote its self-image as an eternal conqueror.
Ukraine chose a different path. Since 2015, May 8 has been observed as the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation. May 9 remains on the calendar, but without Soviet theatrics.
Ukraine's approach to memory is not only about honouring the victims of World War II. It is also about honesty and responsibility.
Ukraine has yet also to face the problematic and tragic pages of its past in the World War II: Nazis used local dwellers to commit crimes of the Holocaust; Ukrainian and Poles committed mass violence against each other, and are still far away from being able to present a common view on the mass killings of 1940s, in particular mass killings of Poles in Volyn. However, these tragic events should also be regarded in the context of the very complexity of the Ukrainian struggle for independence, which took place against the background of centuries of oppression from different sides and of the clash between totalitarian superpowers in the 1930s-1940s on its territory. In the past decades, Ukrainians showed readiness to face this complexity.
And this readiness to accept uncomfortable truths marks a fundamental difference.
The Price Ukraine Paid in a War It Did Not Choose
Ukraine paid a huge price for the victory over Nazism. Nearly 7 million Ukrainians fought in the Red Army, and millions never returned home. From the very beginning of the war in 1939 - not 1941, as Soviet propaganda claims - Ukrainians resisted the Nazis on many fronts, fighting both in Soviet ranks and in other Allied armies. Yet despite this enormous contribution, Russia has spent decades distorting history, seizing the victory narrative and sidelining Ukraine's sacrifice in the global memory of WWII.
During World War II, Soviet commanders often stopped German offensives not with strategy, but with sheer numbers of lives lost - "rusting the knife" with blood, as one Soviet veteran put it. Sacrifice was not a choice - it was a brutal order.
Recycling Brutality: How Russia Fights Wars Then and Now
Today, Russia repeats the same ruthless logic in Ukraine. Human wave assaults, massive losses, and complete disregard for soldiers' lives define its approach.
The Russian government shows no mercy to its own people, whether they live, survive, or die, they are treated as disposable. Ironically, captured Russian soldiers receivemore justice and dignity in Ukraine, where they are treated according to human rights standards.
Once again, noble rhetoric about heroism and sacrifice is nothing more than propaganda. In reality, human lives mean nothing to the Russian regime. This is true not only for Russians themselves but also for any nation seen as an obstacle to theresurrection of the empire - the real goal behind both WWII and Russia's war against Ukraine.
For Putin and Stalin, war is not about victory with honour. It is about domination at any cost, no matter how many are sent to die.
Where Moscow glorifies violence, Ukraine defends truth, defending both the right and the goal to exist free from empire.
Unlike Russia, Ukraine is also ready to face its own painful pages of history with honesty and dignity.This readiness makes its memory not only true, but also human.
This is the sad truth: Russia's most sacred narrative - its self-proclaimed victory in World War II - rests on shaky ground. The whole world fought against Nazism, yet Moscow diminishes the role and sacrifice of others.
The issue is, it has little else to offer.
Instead of improving lives or providing dignity to its people, the Kremlin clings to empty slogans like "We can do it again."
Ultimately, it is not about memory - it is about illusion.About pretending to be "great," when even that, like so much else in Russia's story, is a lie.
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This publication was compiled with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. It's content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.
