The whole world celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany at May 8th. Only postsoviet countries do so at May, 9th – because the day when Stalin got the order of capitulation, signed by Nazi generals.
Now this day – the 9th of May – is an ugly mythologized annual patriotic Bacchanalia, happening in Russia and Belarus (in Ukraine, thanks God, soviet heritage is being strongly restricted). Patriotic citizens are choking with love to Stalin, a feeling of imperial “greatness” (“we’ve screwed up half of Europe, fuck yyeaaah!”) and hatred to German, Americans, Ukrainians and other “scum” who want to TAKE AWAY OUR VICTORY ARRGGH! Georgian stripes are everywhere, millions of liters of vodka are bought, the TV is full of militarist movies, and you’d better not be critical over it, or you will be also stigmatized as a traitor.
Today’s Russian official ideology is pure fascism. It is fascist both by the form (military uniform on children, hymns, aesthetics, symbols) and content (severe authoritarianism, imperialism, chauvinism, military aggression against other countries etc). And thus, the 9th of May now is a part of a fascist celebration. It’s an irony of history.
