Ukraine’s Contribution to the Victory over Nazism in World War II
What was Ukraine’s contribution to the victory over Nazism in World War II?
Published
07.05.2025
Over 7 million Ukrainians took part in military operations within the armed forces of various Allied countries. Nearly all of Ukraine’s industrial facilities were converted to support the war effort. Ukraine’s direct human losses during World War II exceeded 8 million people (approximately 25% of the population), while economic losses amounted to 285 million rubles of the time. The country suffered immense destruction as 100% of its territory was occupied during the war.
- Participation in military operations
- Over 7 million Ukrainians served in all theaters of WWII, within the armed forces of the Allies:
o Red Army – approximately 7 million. Throughout the war, Ukrainians made up 23% of the Red Army’s total personnel;
o Poland – 120,000 (in 1939);
o United States – up to 80,000 (in 1945);
o Canada – up to 45,000 (in 1945);
o France – up to 5,000 (in 1940);
o About 100,000 individuals also served in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which waged a partisan war against both Nazi Germany and the USSR.
- By late summer 1941, 3.2 million soldiers from Ukraine had been mobilized into the Red Army. Ukrainians constituted 50% of the Southwestern Front forces. Between 1943 and 1945, an additional 4.5 million people were recruited. From the second half of 1943 onward, Ukrainians made up 60–80% of the personnel in the Ukrainian Fronts.
- Ukrainians held high-ranking command positions in the Red Army, including Hryhorii Kulyk, Semen Tymoshenko, Ivan Cherniakhovsky, Andriy Hrechko, Andriy Yeremenko, Kyrylo Moskalenko, Pylyp Zhmachenko, and Rodion Malynovsky.
- Some 2.5 million Ukrainians were awarded orders and medals, 2,000 Ukrainian Red Army soldiers were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Ivan Kozhedub, a legendary fighter pilot, was honored three times, and 32 Ukrainians were double recipients.
- Ukraine is also linked to the formal end of the war: on September 2, 1945, General Kuzma Derevyanko, a native of Uman district, signed Japan’s unconditional surrender on behalf of the USSR.
- Work for defense industry and support for the economy
- Ukrainians, including children, worked in defense industries, agriculture, and manufacturing, ensuring the army was supplied with weapons and food, while maintaining the economy behind the front lines.
- Around 3.5 million residents of the Ukrainian SSR were evacuated to the USSR’s rear regions, along with 550 industrial enterprises, 70 universities, 40 theaters, and numerous museums and their staff.
- Human losses
Ukraine suffered over 8 million deaths in World War II, amounting to about 25% of its pre-war population.
- Dramatic destruction of territory
- 100% of Ukraine’s territory was occupied at different stages of the war. The front line crossed the country twice (and more in some regions): first during the Wehrmacht’s advance in 1941, and again during the Soviet counteroffensive in 1943–1944.
Why do Ukraine and Europe celebrate Victory Day on May 8, While Russia marks it on May 9?
Published
07.05.2025
There are reasons for this:
- First, the act of surrender was signed in Karlshorst (a suburb of Berlin) on May 8 at 22:43 Central European Time (UTC+1), which was already 00:43 on May 9 Moscow time.
- Second, celebrating Victory Day on May 9 has symbolic significance for Moscow and is intended to emphasize the idea that Moscow is the “center of the world,” with Moscow time as the point of reference.
Europe celebrates Victory Day over Nazism on May 8 because the war in Europe officially ended on May 8, 1945. The ceasefire was declared at 23:01 on May 8 Central European Time (UTC+1), and the act of surrender was signed in Karlshorst (a suburb of Berlin) at 22:43. In Moscow time, this occurred at 00:43 on May 9. However, this was the second document confirming Germany’s surrender.
The first surrender act was signed on May 7, 1945 in Reims, France, on territory controlled by the Western Allies.
However, Stalin demanded that the surrender be signed in Germany because Berlin was the capital of the Third Reich, and its capture by the Red Army had symbolic significance. Participation in key events, such as accepting the surrender in Berlin, increased the international authority of the Soviet Union. The surrender act on May 8 essentially reiterated the act signed on May 7.
Over time, the Soviet Union turned Victory Day into a propaganda tool. In 1965, twenty years after the end of World War II, May 9 became an official holiday and a symbol of the Soviet Union’s power and military strength. Active celebration helped foster patriotic education and strengthen belief in communist ideals. Marking Victory Day on May 9 emphasized that Moscow was the “center of the world” and Moscow time was the “point of reference.”
In modern Russia, unfortunately, this day has transformed into a so-called “victory cult”. The celebration of Victory Day has taken on elements of a quasi-religious cult, with carnival-like features and necromancy, and has become part of aggressive war propaganda.
Ukraine, however, aligns with European practices of commemorating the war and its victims, and therefore observes Victory and Remembrance Day on May 8. On May 9, Ukraine celebrates Europe Day — the day the Schuman Declaration was signed, marking the beginning of the European Coal and Steel Community, which eventually transformed into the European Union.
Additional sources:
- https://spravdi.gov.ua/top-5-mifiv-pro-drugu-svitovu-vijnu/
- https://uinp.gov.ua/informaciyni-materialy/zhurnalistam/informaciyni-materialy-do-dnya-pamyati-ta-peremogy-nad-nacyzmom-u-drugiy-svitoviy-viyny-8-travnya
When did World War II begin for Ukraine and Ukrainians?
Published
07.05.2025
World War II began for Ukrainians on September 1, 1939, when German airplanes bombed Lviv, which at the time was part of Poland.
For Ukraine, the war started on September 1, 1939, with Nazi Germany’s attack on Poland — a country that then included parts of Ukrainian lands.
This is an important and often surprising piece of information for people from post-Soviet countries because the Soviet Union propagated the myth that World War II began for all Soviet citizens on June 22, 1941, the day Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. But that is not true.
On September 1, 1939, German bombers struck Lviv. Soon after, Ternopil, Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk), Lutsk, Drohobych, Sarny, Yavoriv and some other cities were also targeted. On September 17, the Soviet Union entered the war as an ally of Nazi Germany. During the Soviet invasion of Poland, Ukrainians fought on both sides — in both the Polish and Soviet armies. Over 100,000 Ukrainians fought in the ranks of the Polish army defending against the invasion.
Soon after, Ukrainians were also forced to take part in the Soviet Union’s aggressive war against Finland in 1939–1940, serving in the Red Army.
As a result of an agreement between the Nazis and Communists to carve up Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union annexed Western Ukraine and Western Belarus in 1939 and occupied the Baltic States, Bessarabia, and Northern Bukovina in 1940.
What does Ukraine commemorate on May 8?
Published
07.05.2025
On May 8, Ukraine — alongside other European countries — commemorates the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II.
This day serves as a reminder that World War II began due to the collusion of two totalitarian regimes: National Socialism (Nazism) in Germany and Communism in the USSR, as well as the initial unwillingness of powerful nations to confront the aggressors.
Between 1939 and 1945, both totalitarian regimes committed numerous crimes against humanity, war crimes, and acts of genocide on Ukrainian territory. As a result, Ukrainians, Jews, Crimean Tatars, and other ethnic groups living in what is now Ukraine suffered tremendous losses.
When and why did Ukraine begin commemorating Victory Day on May 8 instead of May 9?
Published
07.05.2025
Ukraine officially embraced May 8 as the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II in 2023. This shift is deeply symbolic of the country’s move toward European traditions and a rejection of the Soviet-style glorification of military power. Instead, the focus is on honoring the victims of the war.
In 2023, the Ukrainian Parliament passed the Law “On the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II 1939–1945,” which officially established May 8 as the day Ukraine commemorates victory over Nazism and remembers the war victims, together with the rest of Europe.
The gradual transition to this European tradition began after the Revolution of Dignity (2013–2014). This tradition is not just about changing the date, but also about changing the focus — from militarism and the cult of victory to the contributions of different communities to defeating Nazism, and to the suffering and loss experienced by individuals during the war.
The Day of Remembrance and Victory serves as a reminder that World War II began as a result of a pact between two totalitarian regimes:
the National Socialist (Nazi) regime in Germany and the Communist regime in the Soviet Union. It also reflects the silent unwillingness of the world’s most powerful states to resist the aggressors. Between 1939 and 1945, both regimes committed numerous crimes against humanity, war crimes, and acts of genocide on Ukrainian soil causing enormous losses to the Ukrainian, Jewish, Crimean Tatar, and other peoples living within the borders of modern-day Ukraine.
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