On Victory in Europe Day, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) joins the international community in solemn commemoration for the millions of Second World War victims and in eternal gratitude to the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for a free world.
The Second World War began in 1939 with the Nazi-Soviet invasion and dismemberment of Poland and became the most brutal war in human history. Its cost is beyond calculation: in Ukraine alone, over 8 million lives were lost, and over 2 million people were forcibly deported. Today, we pay tribute to millions of Ukrainian men and women who bravely fought in this war, including over 250 000 Ukrainians who served in Polish, French, British, US, and Canadian armed forces. We owe them an eternal debt that can never be repaid.
Caught between the totalitarian and murderous empires of Hitler and Stalin, Ukrainian people fought bravely against both occupying regimes. The end of this war did not bring peace or freedom to Ukraine. Instead, Stalin’s Soviet Union brought oppression and tyranny to Ukraine and many other captive nations of Eastern Europe. For over four decades, Ukraine was forced to continue its struggle against the Soviet regime that persecuted and denied the Ukrainian people the fundamental right to live freely.
Today, the horrors and terror of the Second World War are repeating on Ukrainian soil. As commemoration events occur worldwide, Ukraine prepares for a long-awaited counteroffensive to liberate its occupied lands from the deadly Russian aggressor state that once again dreams of subjugating the country and wiping out its people. Like the Nazis, Putin’s regime hides its imperialistic ambitions and dreams of “global domination” behind disinformation, lies, and criminal propaganda. With appalling cynicism, the Russians have been distorting and manipulating the memory of the Second World War to justify an unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.
“While honoring the victims and the heroes of the Second World War, we call on all peace-loving nations to unite their efforts to stop the Russian evil and help the Ukrainian people liberate their people from occupation. We also call on the international community to establish an international war crimes tribunal to hold all Russian war criminals, including Russia’s leadership and their enablers, accountable for all the atrocities committed in Ukraine,” stated Paul Grod, UWC President.
