June 22

... London. It would have been surprising if Victory Column (nicknamed Goldelse by Berliners) had been erected in Paris, Vienna, or Copenhagen rather than Berlin. The Great Victory of 1945 is a valid reason to be proud for any Russian who has not lost their historical memory and their sense of national identity. Whatever happened next, this remains our celebration, our triumph, and our truth! Why is it, then, that each time I remember June 22, I get goosebumps as my hands involuntarily clench into fists and I get a lump in my throat? Why is it that when I hear the first bars of “The Sacred War” composed by Alexander Alexandrov, I immediately grit my teeth, even though I am no longer ...