Press Release, 9.05.2025

Moscow

The leaders and members of the Yabloko Party honoured the memory of those killed in World War II at the Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery in Moscow, the Piskarevskoye Cemetery in St. Petersburg, as well as at memorials in other Russian cities.

Moscow

At the beginning of the 21st century, the largest War Memorial was erected at the Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery in Moscow and the first Eternal Flame was lit over the mass grave of soldiers who died in World War II. More than 10,000 soldiers and commanders of the Red Army are buried at the military site, most of whom passed away due to fatal wounds received in the war.

Grigory Yavlinsky:

“80 years is a long time, and the more difficult the task becomes with each passing year – not just to remember the millions of victims, but also to understand what needs to be done in the new conditions of the crumbling old world order so that to prevent a new catastrophe of an even greater scale. However, the main and primary task should certainly be to return the inviolability of human life to the centre of world politics.

Today there is nothing more important than a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. This is what is vitally important. Everything else – negotiations and agreements – will come later.”

Moscow

Yabloko members also came to the Vvedenskoye Cemetery in Moscow to honour the memory of the fallen French pilots. Pilots from the Normandy-Niemen fighter regiment were buried here. They heroically defended the skies of our country and died in battles on the Soviet-German front. In the 1950s, their remains were transported to France, and the memorial was preserved as a sign of memory to the heroes of the war.

Nikolai Rybakov:

“People gave their lives so that there would never be a war. These people, representing the Soviet Union and France, united so that to save life. And now it is very important to remember that there is nothing more important than for everyone to unite, stop hostilities and give people the opportunity to live, love, create, and not kill each other.”

St.Petersburg

On the eve of Victory Day, a solemn mourning ceremony was also held at the Piskarevskoye Cemetery in St. Petersburg. Members of the St. Petersburg Yabloko laid a wreath and flowers at the Motherland monument at the Piskarevskoye Cemetery.

St.Petersburg

The Piskarevskoye Cemetry is the largest fraternal cemetery in the world. It is the resting place of 500,000 people, the victims of the Leningrad siege and soldiers of the Leningrad Front. Most of the victims died in the winter of 1941-1942. The UN considers 8 May to be the first of two days of remembrance and reconciliation, when the world honours the victims of World War II.

Alexander Shishlov:

“Humanity is facing a real threat of a new world war, as never before in the past 80 years.

Therefore, the current anniversary of Victory is not only a day of remembrance. This is a milestone that requires, for the sake of our future, to understand of the lessons of war and Victory, the lessons necessary to preserve humanity, and protect the most important human right – the right to life.”

Earlier, Nikolai Rybakov laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.

Moscow

Vladivostok

Karelia

Novgorod

Pskov

Voronezh

Kaliningrad