Russia’s Immortal Regiment: Honoring the Dead with Death

By Inês Raquel

In 2019, before the pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I had the chance to take part in the celebrations for the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, known as Victory Day in Russia. Slipping through the immense crowds, I observed the abundance of emotions in the people who participated in the Immortal Regiment, a civil event that takes place in Russia every 9th of May.

The sun’s rays of the early afternoon pierced through Moscow's tall and brutalist buildings — an inheritance from the 1970s. Around the Dinamo metro station, thousands of people gathered with portraits of their ancestors who experienced the horrors of the war firsthand. Soon enough, we started our nearly two-hour march to the Red Square. In this turbulent sea of euphoric people, red carnations were distributed — the same flower that symbolizes freedom in my home country of Portugal — while traditional songs and victorious Soviet marches could be heard at every corner. Along the several kilometers of the journey, I walked beside some veterans whose age did not deter them from being part of the Immortal Regiment. Several of them surely had reached their 90s. 

On this day, the letter “Z” was still only a simple letter. Today, I wonder what many of these veterans, who had seen the true face of combat, would think about the ongoing war in their neighboring country. With some reflection, I recall seeing people from the veterans' generation calling out members of the Russian youth in 2019 who were wearing clothing and waving flags with the face of Joseph Stalin, and even Vladimir Putin, stamped on them. "Do you think that's right? Did your grandparents tell you what he did [to us]?!” snapped a very old woman at a speechless young man wearing Stalin's face on his t-shirt. He is speechless in response — of course, he does not understand war, how could he? How could any of us imagine such atrocities back then...but today?

For over a year now, several Ukrainian relatives, friends, and neighbors of the participants of this Immortal Regiment — as well as many people in different parts of the world — know the pain and suffering of war waged by a tyrant, just like the old generation knew of Stalin’s oppression and its brutal consequences. In 2022, President Vladimir Putin even took advantage of Victory Day to explain why Russia was forced to start its fatal "special operation" in Ukraine. The Russian President, while applauding the services of Russian soldiers in the current war, would go so far as to state that they are "fighting for our motherland, its future, so that nobody forgets the lessons of World War II so that there is no place in the world for torturers, death squads and Nazis.”[1]

Looking back to 2019 at myself and my friends from post-Soviet countries, none of us could imagine that this complex and inhuman situation would emerge. However, we know that only Nazis and colonialists of any kind would attempt to justify their invasive actions in such a way; and that no one who truly respects and acknowledges the sacrifices of their forefathers would think about honoring blood with more blood. Now, only time will tell if the Russian Federation and its citizens will be strong enough to change course, or if in the future the Immortal Regiment will be filled with new portraits of “heroes” fallen in the invasion of Ukraine.

One of the many Soviet flags waving above the crowd.

A little girl holds a portrait of a man, likely her ancestor, who fought in the Great Patriotic War (World War II).

Women and children in the parade holding red carnations.

More people join the Immortal Regiment, hoisting photos of their brave ancestors with pride.

A little boy wrapped in a flag with Moscow’s coat of arms, featuring Saint George, waves a small Soviet flag.

Several participants hold a giant Saint George’s ribbon.

A group of descendants of the Russian diaspora in Greece also joined the Immortal Regiment that year.

The crowd sings and roars heated “Hurra!”s in Tverskaya Street.

On the placard can be read: “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten! I REMEMBER”

Passing by the statue of Vladimir Mayakovsky, a Russian-Soviet poet and artist who became a prominent figure of the Russian Futurist movement.

A child holds a placard with a picture of Joseph Stalin — similar to the one which triggered the verbal altercation I witnessed later that day.

The view from the gates of Red Square.

The Immortal Regiment reaching the entrance of Red Square.

Two women quietly share their thoughts in the noisy crowd.

The parade ‘invades’ Red Square, leaving behind the State Historical Museum. 

Before the Immortal Regiment and under dark clouds, Saint Basil’s Cathedral emerges.

---

About the author

With a Master’s degree in Political Analysis and Public Policy from the National Research University Higher School of Economics (NRU HSE) in Russia, Inês Raquel is deeply interested in geopolitics, security, and human rights, with a focus on Eurasia, East and South Asia. Currently working as a KYC Breaches Alerts Analyst at the French bank BNP Paribas, she aspires to become a political journalist and/or researcher. She has published some of her works through the Pan-European Belgium-based think tank Institute for a Greater Europe

---

Notes:

1. Simmons, Ann M. 2022. “Putin Uses Russia's Victory Day Parade to Justify Invasion of Ukraine.” The Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2022. https://www.wsj.com/articles/putin-uses-russias-victory-day-parade-to-justify-invasion-of-ukraine-11652093244.