Russia is celebrating Victory Day and President Vladimir Putin is using the occasion to justify his actions in Ukraine.
Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Today we celebrate Victory Day over Nazism. We are proud of our ancestors who together with other nations in the anti-Hitler coalition defeated Nazism. And we will not allow anyone to annex this victory. We will not allow it to be appropriated."
Everything you wanted to know about Victory Day in Europe in seven facts.
The 78th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany is being celebrated in countries across Europe, with national holidays to honour the occasion.
Victory in Europe Day marks the formal acceptance of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces by the Allies, and the official end of World War II in Europe on the Eastern Front.
“High schooler Alex Rogan conquers the Starfighter video game, only to find out it was just a test, and is transported to another planet. He has been recruited to join a team of the best starfighters to defend their world from the attack.” (from IMDB)
I keep Facebook as I follow some groups on chess, to keep track of my family across the globe, and to network where I now live in Tasmania. My favourite aspect is the memories. Today's memory for me was very poignant. I wrote it when my Dad had passed away, but my Mum was still alive, though she has since also passed away. It's not their anniversary today, but the cake in the photo shows their long life together 🙂
"Today is VE Day, and while I'm not usually one to focus too much on remembrance days, I'm thinking about how Britain, and other countries went to war because of the invasion of Poland. After those terrible war years, my Mum and Dad coming from different backgrounds, nationalities and cultures, were brought together in that post war period and an Anglo-Polish family began. It makes me think how much better this world would be if people didn't judge other people based on where they're from, or what they have, or how they look or sound. VE was a win against Fascism and the bigotry and hatred that those regimes implemented. I'm seeing a rise in bigotry and hatred again, and I hope we can rise against it so the sacrifices made by those during the 1939-1945 war weren't in vain."