The World War II began on September 1, 1939 and lasted until September 2, 1945. It was the most ambitious of all the 14 thousand wars and armed conflicts in history, which cost the lives of the millions of people and caused irreparable lost of human civilization and culture. It was participated by  61 countries, or 80% of the population of the Earth; the military actions took place in the territories of 40 countries. Total casualties, according to the historians, reached 50-55 millions, including 27 millions people died in the war`s fronts.

«Ukrainian factor» was a very serious contribution to the altar of the Victory in World War II as well its component – the Great Patriotic War. In the liberation of Central and Southeastern Europe from the Nazis, and the defeat in August 1945 the militarist Japan is a major contribution paid the Ukrainian Fronts, which also liberated Ukraine in 1943-1944.  During World War II were formed another four Ukrainian Fronts; on the territory of Ukraine gained considerable scale and the guerrilla movement as a fifth Ukrainian front, while the total number of participants of various forms of the guerrilla movement, by the latest figures, reaching almost a million people.

In the Red Army fought more than 7 million citizens of Ukraine. A significant part Ukrainians sat among the command staff and officers of the Red Army, were the front commanders, marshals and generals. For the bravery and courage, revealed in battles with the Nazi invaders, Ukrainian and inhabitants of Ukraine as a part of all Soviet fronts 2.5 million awarded orders and medals of the amount over 7 million prizes that were awarded to soldiers of the Soviet Armed Forces as a whole. Among the Heroes of the Soviet Union - the highest award of the USSR - Ukrainian constituted 18.2 % or 2072 persons. Of the 115 twice Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded the title during the war - 32 were born in Ukraine or were Ukrainians, and Ivan Kozhedub was three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Among the 800,000 women who served in the Red Army at various fronts during the Second World War, there were 127 thousand representatives of Ukraine.

The historical fact is that the September 2, 1945 inTokyoBay aboard the U.S. battleship "Missouri" was signed an act of surrender of Japan, and on behalf of the Soviet Union it had been signed by the Ukrainian citizen Lt.-Gen. K.Derev'yanko.

During the war, the ethnic Ukrainians, in addition to the Red Army, fought also in the armies and units of Anty-Hitlerate Coalition members - in the U.S. and the Canadian armies (in the latter , there were 40 thousand of them), in the French resistance movement. Thousands of Ukrainian served in the Polish Army of General Władysław Anders; Western Ukrainian accounted for 2% of the Polish division named Tadeusz Kostiuszko and 70% of the Czechoslovak Brigade General Ludwig Svoboda.

The geopolitical situation of Ukraine has established its central role in the events of wartime. Over 1250 days and nights the people of Ukraine was in the maelstrom of bloody battles. In general during the World War II died every fifth Ukrainian, irreparable losses suffered virtually every family.

It was burned, devastated and destroyed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian cities and villages. Nearly 320 villages with their inhabitants were burned to the ground. Have been burned the 319,000 of the households, in the Left Bank of Ukraine was destroyed every fourth house. The biggest one-stage Nazi punitive action against the civilian population was held on 1-2 March 1943 in the village Koryukovka in Chernihiv. Nearly seven thousand people were shot or burned alive in this Polissyan village!

According to historians, the total demographic losses in Ukraine - including dead, the victims of the concentration camps, deported and evacuated - are at least 14 million people. From the 41.7 million people who lived before the war in the USSR, in 1945 left only 27.4 million people.

In recognition of the contribution of the people of Ukraine in the victory over Nazism, fascism and militarism was the establishment of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) as an authorized member of the world community. From the other countries USSR became a co-founder of not only the United Nations, but also as a number of the international associations.

This year Ukraine joined the European Community and uses during the official ceremony to commemorate the end of World War II in Europe and the victory over Nazism European symbolism of the victims of war - the red poppy.

Today, on May 8, the day of signing of the unconditional surrender of the Nazi Germany, Ukraine is honoring the memory of the millions who died in World War II. We worship low before the big fight of the soldiers of the coalition, representatives of all nations and nationalities, all those who are on the front and in the rear, at the cost of their own lives, struggling with the fascist invasion and won the Great Victory.

Eternal memory of those who died, eternal glory to feat of heroes!

Embassy of Ukraine

to the Hellenic Republic