President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War Two by saying on Monday he would formalize a day of remembrance in Ukraine on May 8 when other Western countries celebrate Europe’s victory.

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“We are returning to our state an honest history without ideological influences. It is on May 8 that most nations of the world remember the greatness of the victory over the Nazis,” he said in a video posted on the president’s Telegram channel.

History of V-E Day

On May 8, 1945 – Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) – German forces unconditionally surrendered to the Allies, after more than five years of destruction, murder, and extermination perpetrated by the Nazi government during World War II.

“There were two surrender signings. The first was on May 7, 1945, when German Col. Gen. Alfred Jodl signed Germany’s surrender on all fronts in Reims, France,” the U.S. Department of Defense wrote on their website.

Today we commemorate Victory in Europe Day – the day in 1945 when WWII ended.

Today Europe is under threat from an expansionist power.

Today we remember the lessons of WWII, the millions who died, and the values we stand for. #WeAreNATO, and we stand #UnitedWithUkraine. pic.twitter.com/SMiBGczfYb

— U.S. Mission to NATO (@USNATO) May 8, 2023

“The second signing – insisted upon by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin – was by German Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel the next day in Berlin,” the department added.

After the surrender was announced, worldwide celebrations erupted, with the press all over the world writing about V-E Day and the Nazi surrender.

Russia with its own

Russia, some post-soviet states, including Belarus and Kazakhstan, as well as Israel (before the invasion), celebrate the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany on May 9. Ukraine also took part in the commemoration on May 9, until 2022, when Russia launched its invasion.

This year’s celebrations in Russia will not be as pompous as usual. Many cities in Russia canceled their victory day parades as they are struggling to showcase enough military equipment, due to it being used in the Ukrainian invasion.