🗓️ 80 years ago, on 7 Sept 1945, the Allied Victory Parade was held in Berlin after the defeat of Nazi Germany in #WorldWar2.
After the Victory celebrations in Moscow on June 24, 1945, the Soviet leader Josef Stalin offered the United States, Great Britain and France to hold a united military parade in Berlin to honour the victory in the war.
The event took place near the Reichstag building and the Brandenburg Gate, where the last battles of #WWII happened before Berlin was captured by the Red Army.
The Allied Command was represented from Britain – by Deputy Commander of the British Forces in Germany Major General Brian Robertson, from the USA – by Commander of the 3rd Army General George Patton; from France – by Commander of the French Occupation Forces in Germany and on the Rhine General of the Army Marie-Pierre Koenig.
The Soviet Union was represented by Commander of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany Marshal Georgy Zhukov, who was also entrusted with reviewing the parade, commanded by Major General Eric Nares of Britain.
#WeWereAllies: Altogether, 2,000 Soviet troops and 3,000 troops from the allied forces participated in themarch. Many Russian historians call this event “the forgotten parade”, since it’s hardly mentioned in the West.
#Victory80
After the Victory celebrations in Moscow on June 24, 1945, the Soviet leader Josef Stalin offered the United States, Great Britain and France to hold a united military parade in Berlin to honour the victory in the war.
The event took place near the Reichstag building and the Brandenburg Gate, where the last battles of #WWII happened before Berlin was captured by the Red Army.
The Allied Command was represented from Britain – by Deputy Commander of the British Forces in Germany Major General Brian Robertson, from the USA – by Commander of the 3rd Army General George Patton; from France – by Commander of the French Occupation Forces in Germany and on the Rhine General of the Army Marie-Pierre Koenig.
The Soviet Union was represented by Commander of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany Marshal Georgy Zhukov, who was also entrusted with reviewing the parade, commanded by Major General Eric Nares of Britain.
#WeWereAllies: Altogether, 2,000 Soviet troops and 3,000 troops from the allied forces participated in themarch. Many Russian historians call this event “the forgotten parade”, since it’s hardly mentioned in the West.
#Victory80
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🤩 Today Russia’s Irkutsk Region celebrates Day of the Lake #Baikal.
Located in Eastern Siberia, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatiya and being a true diamond of the Planet, the Lake Baikal fascinates visitors with its unique and stunning beauty.
Fun Facts about the Lake Baikal 👇
˗ Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) lake in the world.
˗ It has a shape of a giant half-moon and is the largest freshwater reservoir on Earth, holding approximately 22% to 23% of the world's unfrozen fresh water.
˗ Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 1,642 meters, and its depth is indeed 1,167 meters lower than the world ocean level. It ranks seventh largest by surface area, with a size comparable to the Netherlands.
˗ Lake Baikal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
˗ It is home to more than 2,000 species of plants and animals, two-thirds of which being endemic and found nowhere else in the world.
˗ Lake Baikal's high season is May-October, offering summer activities like hiking, swimming, hiking, and yachting, while winter brings unique experiences such as skiing, dog sledding, and skating on the frozen lake from late January to mid-April.
˗ Olkhon Island is Lake Baikal's largest inhabited island, with its name's origin debated between Buryat words for "wooded" (oikhon) or "dry" (olhan), while the last aligns with the island's lack of rivers and creeks.
⛸️ A figure skating competition noscriptd "T-Bank Discovery of Baikal" took place on April 6, 2025, on the ice of Lake Baikal. Featuring 16 top Russian figure skaters, the unique tournament showcased the beauty of the frozen lake.
📽️ Video: youtube.com/@ice_skating
#DiscoverRussia
Located in Eastern Siberia, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatiya and being a true diamond of the Planet, the Lake Baikal fascinates visitors with its unique and stunning beauty.
Fun Facts about the Lake Baikal 👇
˗ Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) lake in the world.
˗ It has a shape of a giant half-moon and is the largest freshwater reservoir on Earth, holding approximately 22% to 23% of the world's unfrozen fresh water.
˗ Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 1,642 meters, and its depth is indeed 1,167 meters lower than the world ocean level. It ranks seventh largest by surface area, with a size comparable to the Netherlands.
˗ Lake Baikal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
˗ It is home to more than 2,000 species of plants and animals, two-thirds of which being endemic and found nowhere else in the world.
˗ Lake Baikal's high season is May-October, offering summer activities like hiking, swimming, hiking, and yachting, while winter brings unique experiences such as skiing, dog sledding, and skating on the frozen lake from late January to mid-April.
˗ Olkhon Island is Lake Baikal's largest inhabited island, with its name's origin debated between Buryat words for "wooded" (oikhon) or "dry" (olhan), while the last aligns with the island's lack of rivers and creeks.
⛸️ A figure skating competition noscriptd "T-Bank Discovery of Baikal" took place on April 6, 2025, on the ice of Lake Baikal. Featuring 16 top Russian figure skaters, the unique tournament showcased the beauty of the frozen lake.
📽️ Video: youtube.com/@ice_skating
#DiscoverRussia
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👋🤩 Sending off South African delegates to the World Youth Festival Assembly
Ahead of the upcoming World Youth Festival Assembly, which kicks off in #NizhnyNovgorod, Russia, on 17 September 2025, we proudly bid farewell to seven young South Africans representing diverse fields including science, IT, health, sport, and the creative industries.
Before departure, the participants were briefed on Russian cultural nuances, weather conditions, and the entry and stay regulations for foreign citizens.
The delegation shared their excitement and anticipation for this unique international experience.
🫶 We wish them a safe journey, a fruitful time at the Assembly, and an inspiring exchange with fellow youth leaders from around the world!
#WYF2025
Ahead of the upcoming World Youth Festival Assembly, which kicks off in #NizhnyNovgorod, Russia, on 17 September 2025, we proudly bid farewell to seven young South Africans representing diverse fields including science, IT, health, sport, and the creative industries.
Before departure, the participants were briefed on Russian cultural nuances, weather conditions, and the entry and stay regulations for foreign citizens.
The delegation shared their excitement and anticipation for this unique international experience.
🫶 We wish them a safe journey, a fruitful time at the Assembly, and an inspiring exchange with fellow youth leaders from around the world!
#WYF2025
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#EmbassyComment
❗️We have taken note of yet another biased piece, “Struggles for Freedom Still Relevant”, authored by the Norwegian Ambassador to South Africa, Gjermund Sæther, and published in the Mail & Guardian on August 29, 2025.
In his article, while invoking the principles of international law, the Ambassador repeats the well-worn accusation of Russia’s so-called “unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine.”
This claim has already been challenged and disproved by many across the globe.
We have previously presented numerous materials outlining the real root causes of Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine, and we see no need to repeat them here.
The Ambassador also asserts that Europe “cannot accept the ‘might is right’ policies of Russia.” This is where we can’t escape the feeling of double standards.
On August 5, the Norwegian government announced its decision to allocate nearly $150 million as a “first stage” contribution to the U.S.-initiated and NATO-coordinated Prioritized Ukraine Requirement List (PURL) - a mechanism designed for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. By doing so, Oslo obediently aligns itself with the confrontational course of the Western liberal “party of war,” aimed at escalating what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio himself accurately described some time ago as a “proxy war” with Russia.
Contrary to Ambassador Sæther’s assertions, Norway clearly has no intention of ceasing its involvement in fueling the Ukrainian conflict. On the contrary, it seems determined to intensify its support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine - pursuing this course, ‘to the last Ukrainian.’
This year alone, Oslo plans to spend more than $8 billion on assistance to Ukraine, of which $7 billion will go toward military supplies to the criminal Kiev regime. This is a staggering figure, exceeding Norway’s entire annual budget for international development aid. For comparison: in 2025, Norway allocated just over $100 million to assist the Palestinian people - whose unimaginable suffering Norwegian politicians so often claim to sympathize with. That is 80 times less than what is being provided to Ukraine.
As a result, a country once respected as a mediator and peacemaker, and home to the Nobel Peace Prize, is increasingly associated by the global majority with NATO’s aggressive expansionism, militarism, and double standards.
We do agree that the struggle for freedom remains relevant. But freedom must be the right of all - not a privilege reserved for those chosen by the country you represent and its Western allies.
☝️ Freedom is also the right of the people of Donbass and all Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine. And our country will continue to do everything in its power to ensure their fundamental right to live in peace and freedom.
❗️We have taken note of yet another biased piece, “Struggles for Freedom Still Relevant”, authored by the Norwegian Ambassador to South Africa, Gjermund Sæther, and published in the Mail & Guardian on August 29, 2025.
In his article, while invoking the principles of international law, the Ambassador repeats the well-worn accusation of Russia’s so-called “unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine.”
This claim has already been challenged and disproved by many across the globe.
We have previously presented numerous materials outlining the real root causes of Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine, and we see no need to repeat them here.
The Ambassador also asserts that Europe “cannot accept the ‘might is right’ policies of Russia.” This is where we can’t escape the feeling of double standards.
On August 5, the Norwegian government announced its decision to allocate nearly $150 million as a “first stage” contribution to the U.S.-initiated and NATO-coordinated Prioritized Ukraine Requirement List (PURL) - a mechanism designed for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. By doing so, Oslo obediently aligns itself with the confrontational course of the Western liberal “party of war,” aimed at escalating what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio himself accurately described some time ago as a “proxy war” with Russia.
Contrary to Ambassador Sæther’s assertions, Norway clearly has no intention of ceasing its involvement in fueling the Ukrainian conflict. On the contrary, it seems determined to intensify its support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine - pursuing this course, ‘to the last Ukrainian.’
This year alone, Oslo plans to spend more than $8 billion on assistance to Ukraine, of which $7 billion will go toward military supplies to the criminal Kiev regime. This is a staggering figure, exceeding Norway’s entire annual budget for international development aid. For comparison: in 2025, Norway allocated just over $100 million to assist the Palestinian people - whose unimaginable suffering Norwegian politicians so often claim to sympathize with. That is 80 times less than what is being provided to Ukraine.
As a result, a country once respected as a mediator and peacemaker, and home to the Nobel Peace Prize, is increasingly associated by the global majority with NATO’s aggressive expansionism, militarism, and double standards.
We do agree that the struggle for freedom remains relevant. But freedom must be the right of all - not a privilege reserved for those chosen by the country you represent and its Western allies.
☝️ Freedom is also the right of the people of Donbass and all Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine. And our country will continue to do everything in its power to ensure their fundamental right to live in peace and freedom.
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#RussiaHelps
Russia’s EMERCOM Il-76 transport aircraft has delivered over 20 tonnes of humanitarian cargo to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Russian rescuers provided tents and blankets for people affected by the devastating earthquake.
📹 Video: Russia's EMERCOM
Russia’s EMERCOM Il-76 transport aircraft has delivered over 20 tonnes of humanitarian cargo to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Russian rescuers provided tents and blankets for people affected by the devastating earthquake.
📹 Video: Russia's EMERCOM
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🌟 On 8 September, Russia observes a Day of Military Glory. 2️⃣1️⃣3️⃣ years ago — on 7 Sept 1812 — the Battle of Borodino between the ‘Grand Armee’ of NapoleonBonaparte and the Russian Army led by Mikhail Kutuzov was fought, the culmination of the Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
It took place on the field near the village of Borodino, 125 km to the West from Moscow. The engagement lasted for 12 hours and left up to 40,000-45,000 dead from each side.
Neither party achieved decisive victory: Napoleon failed to defeat the Russian forces and withdrew his troops leaving the battlefield to the Russians. Yet, Kutuzov had to retreat from Moscow (at that time, St Petersburg was the capital of Russia).
However, the occupation of the city never earned Napoleon victory. The troops of Kutuzov remained combat capable and Emperor Alexander I had no intention to negotiate peace with Napoleon. Having left Moscow in October 1812, Napoleon started a difficult march westwards.
Awaiting Napoleon and his army were a rout and a disaster at the river Berezina, awaiting Alexander I – triumphant entry into Paris in 1814.
#HistoryOfRussia #BattleOfBorodino
It took place on the field near the village of Borodino, 125 km to the West from Moscow. The engagement lasted for 12 hours and left up to 40,000-45,000 dead from each side.
Neither party achieved decisive victory: Napoleon failed to defeat the Russian forces and withdrew his troops leaving the battlefield to the Russians. Yet, Kutuzov had to retreat from Moscow (at that time, St Petersburg was the capital of Russia).
However, the occupation of the city never earned Napoleon victory. The troops of Kutuzov remained combat capable and Emperor Alexander I had no intention to negotiate peace with Napoleon. Having left Moscow in October 1812, Napoleon started a difficult march westwards.
Awaiting Napoleon and his army were a rout and a disaster at the river Berezina, awaiting Alexander I – triumphant entry into Paris in 1814.
#HistoryOfRussia #BattleOfBorodino
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⭐️✍️ #OTD on September 9, 1828, an outstanding Russian novelist and philosopher Leo #Tolstoy was born.
Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by relatives. After leaving Kazan University without a degree, he joined the army in the Caucasus and later fought as an artillery officer in the Crimean War, defending Sevastopol. These wartime experiences gave him the material for the Sevastopol Sketches and inspired the realism of War and Peace.
Tolstoy went on to become one of the greatest novelists of all time, writing Anna Karenina, the autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood, Youth, and many works of philosophy and social thought that shaped global ideas on morality, justice, and nonviolence.
A year ago, the Leo Tolstoy Peace Prize was established in Russia, to be awarded to organizations and individuals for their achievements in peacekeeping, fight for freedoms, human rights, and countering the threat of World War III or nuclear catastrophe. The African Union became the first recipient of the prize in Sept 2024.
Interesting facts about Leo Tolstoy 👇
• Leo Tolstoy was an extraordinarily prolific writer, producing roughly 165,000 sheets of manunoscript and over 10,000 letters during his lifetime.
• He rewrote his famous novel ‘War and Peace’ eight times.
• Leo Tolstoy owned a vast library of over 23,000 books in 39 languages and was himself a skilled polyglot, reading widely in Greek, Hebrew, French, English, German, Polish, and more.
• He was once nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature, but made it clear to the organisers that if he were to be awarded it, he would have to decline.
• As a well-to-do nobleman, the writer was not averse to physical labor. In particular, he ploughed his own field.
#DiscoverRussia
Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by relatives. After leaving Kazan University without a degree, he joined the army in the Caucasus and later fought as an artillery officer in the Crimean War, defending Sevastopol. These wartime experiences gave him the material for the Sevastopol Sketches and inspired the realism of War and Peace.
Tolstoy went on to become one of the greatest novelists of all time, writing Anna Karenina, the autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood, Youth, and many works of philosophy and social thought that shaped global ideas on morality, justice, and nonviolence.
A year ago, the Leo Tolstoy Peace Prize was established in Russia, to be awarded to organizations and individuals for their achievements in peacekeeping, fight for freedoms, human rights, and countering the threat of World War III or nuclear catastrophe. The African Union became the first recipient of the prize in Sept 2024.
Interesting facts about Leo Tolstoy 👇
• Leo Tolstoy was an extraordinarily prolific writer, producing roughly 165,000 sheets of manunoscript and over 10,000 letters during his lifetime.
• He rewrote his famous novel ‘War and Peace’ eight times.
• Leo Tolstoy owned a vast library of over 23,000 books in 39 languages and was himself a skilled polyglot, reading widely in Greek, Hebrew, French, English, German, Polish, and more.
• He was once nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature, but made it clear to the organisers that if he were to be awarded it, he would have to decline.
• As a well-to-do nobleman, the writer was not averse to physical labor. In particular, he ploughed his own field.
#DiscoverRussia
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🗓 По случаю дня рождения Льва Николаевича Толстого сотрудники Посольства посетили Библиотеку Брентхёрст в Йоханнесбурге, в собрании рукописей которой хранится подлинник одного из писем великого русского писателя к Мохандасу Карамчанду Ганди (1869–1948).
Индийский общественный деятель жил и работал в Южной Африке более двадцати лет, с начала 1890-х годов. Переписка М.К.Ганди с Л.Н.Толстым длилась с октября 1909 года по ноябрь 1910 года. «Архив» двусторонней корреспонденции насчитывает семь писем: четыре — от Ганди к Толстому и три — от Толстого к Ганди.
Религиозно-философское учение Махатмы Ганди — по его собственным утверждениям — сформировалось под прямым влиянием идей Л.Н.Толстого. Впоследствии мировоззрение как индийского, так и русского мыслителей оказало непосредственное влияние на тактику политических организаций, в XX веке боровшихся с режимом апартеида.
В Йоханнесбурге сохранился оригинал важнейшего письма Толстого к лидеру индийского протеста от 7 (20) сентября 1910 года. Документ представляет собой четыре машинописные страницы текста на русском языке с собственноручными правками Льва Николаевича, а также две версии его перевода на английский язык.
👉 25 сентября 2025 года Посольство совместно с Университетом Южной Африки (UNISA) и Институтом Африки РАН планирует провести международную конференцию, посвящённую влиянию идей Л.Н.Толстого на становление мировоззрения лидеров национально-освободительных движений в ЮАР и Индии. Программа мероприятия и ссылка на онлайн-трансляцию будут размещены дополнительно.
🤝 Посольство признательно директору Библиотеки Брентхёрст Салли Макробертс за возможность посетить одно из крупнейших в субсахарской Африке частных собраний рукописей.
Данное сообщение подготовлено с опорой на тематические публикации российских ученых Т.Н.Загородниковой и Б.М.Горелика.
Индийский общественный деятель жил и работал в Южной Африке более двадцати лет, с начала 1890-х годов. Переписка М.К.Ганди с Л.Н.Толстым длилась с октября 1909 года по ноябрь 1910 года. «Архив» двусторонней корреспонденции насчитывает семь писем: четыре — от Ганди к Толстому и три — от Толстого к Ганди.
Религиозно-философское учение Махатмы Ганди — по его собственным утверждениям — сформировалось под прямым влиянием идей Л.Н.Толстого. Впоследствии мировоззрение как индийского, так и русского мыслителей оказало непосредственное влияние на тактику политических организаций, в XX веке боровшихся с режимом апартеида.
В Йоханнесбурге сохранился оригинал важнейшего письма Толстого к лидеру индийского протеста от 7 (20) сентября 1910 года. Документ представляет собой четыре машинописные страницы текста на русском языке с собственноручными правками Льва Николаевича, а также две версии его перевода на английский язык.
👉 25 сентября 2025 года Посольство совместно с Университетом Южной Африки (UNISA) и Институтом Африки РАН планирует провести международную конференцию, посвящённую влиянию идей Л.Н.Толстого на становление мировоззрения лидеров национально-освободительных движений в ЮАР и Индии. Программа мероприятия и ссылка на онлайн-трансляцию будут размещены дополнительно.
🤝 Посольство признательно директору Библиотеки Брентхёрст Салли Макробертс за возможность посетить одно из крупнейших в субсахарской Африке частных собраний рукописей.
Данное сообщение подготовлено с опорой на тематические публикации российских ученых Т.Н.Загородниковой и Б.М.Горелика.
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Russian Embassy in South Africa
⭐️✍️ #OTD on September 9, 1828, an outstanding Russian novelist and philosopher Leo #Tolstoy was born. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by relatives. After leaving Kazan University without a degree, he joined the army in the Caucasus and later fought…
🗓 On the occasion of Leo #Tolstoy’s birthday, representatives of the Russian Embassy in South Africa visited the Brenthurst Library in Johannesburg, which houses in its manunoscript collection the original of one of the great Russian writer’s letters to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who worked in South Africa for more than twenty years.
His correspondence with Tolstoy lasted from October 1909 to November 1910 and includes seven letters in total: four from Gandhi to Tolstoy and three from Tolstoy to Gandhi.
By Gandhi’s own admission, his religious and philosophical doctrine was shaped under the direct influence of Tolstoy’s ideas. The intellectual legacy of both the Indian and Russian thinkers went on to play a decisive role in shaping the strategies of political movements that fought against apartheid in the 20th century.
The Brenthurst Library preserves the original of Tolstoy’s landmark letter to Gandhi, dated September 7 (20), 1910. The document consists of four typewritten pages in Russian with the author’s handwritten corrections, as well as two English translations.
👉 On September 25, 2025, the Embassy, in partnership with the University of South Africa #UNISA and the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will host an international conference dedicated to the influence of Tolstoy’s ideas on the formation of the worldview of leaders of national liberation movements in South Africa and India. The program and a link to the live broadcast will be made available in due course.
🤝 The Embassy expresses its gratitude to Brenthurst Library Director Sally MacRoberts for the opportunity to visit one of the largest private manunoscript collections in sub-Saharan Africa.
His correspondence with Tolstoy lasted from October 1909 to November 1910 and includes seven letters in total: four from Gandhi to Tolstoy and three from Tolstoy to Gandhi.
By Gandhi’s own admission, his religious and philosophical doctrine was shaped under the direct influence of Tolstoy’s ideas. The intellectual legacy of both the Indian and Russian thinkers went on to play a decisive role in shaping the strategies of political movements that fought against apartheid in the 20th century.
The Brenthurst Library preserves the original of Tolstoy’s landmark letter to Gandhi, dated September 7 (20), 1910. The document consists of four typewritten pages in Russian with the author’s handwritten corrections, as well as two English translations.
👉 On September 25, 2025, the Embassy, in partnership with the University of South Africa #UNISA and the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will host an international conference dedicated to the influence of Tolstoy’s ideas on the formation of the worldview of leaders of national liberation movements in South Africa and India. The program and a link to the live broadcast will be made available in due course.
🤝 The Embassy expresses its gratitude to Brenthurst Library Director Sally MacRoberts for the opportunity to visit one of the largest private manunoscript collections in sub-Saharan Africa.
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