These are the three most essential aspects of May 9th tradition this year – in the conditions of the war in Ukraine and nationalistic hysteria in Latvia.
We do remember of the suffering of the mankind, of the many many millions of victims in the World War II, of the decisive role t army in defeating Nazism. We do remember that the absolute majority of people living here now would not be born if the anti-Hitler coalition had not reached the victory in 1945. The postwar generations of people Europe are, to the large extent, the children of that Victory. Without it the Slavic peoples would await the fate of the European Jewry while the Latvian people would face slavery. Entire nations were saved at the cost of enormous sacrifices. It goes without saying that they were not freed from totalitarianism immediately as many people were subjected to repressions after the war but this does not reverse the positive significance of the defeat of Nazism. The Victory over Nazism has saved lives of people and provided them with a chance to change their fate in future.
Being grateful in our memory, we go to the memorials and fraternal cemeteries on May 8th and 9th. We lay flowers, we stop there holding a minute of silence and express our gratitude towards those who fought and died and won so that we live. The Latvian Russian Union activists, deputies and the party leadership are going to visit the war memorials and fraternal cemeteries. This is a tradition which we hold despite all tragic circumstances of nowadays.
Dignity. We respect the tradition of May 9th. And we treat with respect the day of remembrance for the victims of the war in Ukraine, which the Latvian authorities have designated to be held on May 9th. It should be noted that mixing and confronting the memory of the victims of two different wars is an opportunistic decision aimed at inciting conflict in Latvian society. But at the same time, the victims of the Ukrainian war certainly deserve sympathy and grief. This is the only worthy position, regardless of times and conditions.
Responsibility. On the eve of May 9, the Latvian authorities introduced numerous bans and are trying to scare the people as much as possible with punishments and the threats of likely provocations at military memorials. The goal is to destroy the tradition of May 9th. A paranoid justification for the bans has been offered. They say, that by laying flowers in memory of the victims of World War II, we support the war in Ukraine. This is a monstrous lie. But with the help of this lie and some hypnosis, a part of society is brought into a state of hysteria. Therefore, warnings about possible provocations must be taken seriously and people should behave responsibly.
The main thing to know is that laying flowers on an individual basis is allowed. When laying flowers, you should not enter into disputes with provocateurs and the police or stay for a long time at the memorials. It is possible that some people will make a choice in favor of visiting distant military graves outside the cities. All wars eventually end. The sky over Europe will again become peaceful, and the tradition of May 9 will survive the current ordeals. Our duty is to preserve the best human qualities in our souls: grateful memory, dignity, compassion and responsibility for what is happening in our country.
Co-Chairmen of the Latvian Russian Union Board
Tatiana Zhdanok
Miroslav Mitrofanov
Riga, May 7, 2022
