Voice of Ukraine

From: Mariia Mykhaliyk (1168th day)

As May 9 approaches and the kremlin prepares its parades and propaganda, let’s set the record straight. World War II did not begin with Soviet heroism. It began with Soviet collaboration.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the infamous Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact — agreeing in secret to divide and destroy Eastern Europe.

• Hitler invaded Poland from the west on September 1.
• Stalin followed from the east on September 17.

Together, they ignited the war that would claim more than 70 million lives. And Soviet aggression didn’t stop there.

• The USSR attacked Finland, annexed the Baltics, and seized territory from Romania.
• From 1939 to 1941, Soviet oil, grain, and raw materials fueled Hitler’s conquests across Europe.

In fact, the Soviets were Hitler’s largest donor and supporter in the early years of the war. In a chilling display of their alliance, Nazi German troops even marched alongside Soviet forces on Red Square in Moscow on May 1, 1941 — less than two months before Hitler turned on Stalin. Stalin was not Hitler’s victim. He was his partner in crime, dreaming of new invasions and seeing no evil in their pact.

And when Germany finally invaded the Soviet Union, who paid the highest price? It was Ukraine:

• Most of the major Eastern Front battles happened on Ukrainian soil.
• Ukraine suffered the worst devastation, while much of ruzzia remained untouched.
• Ukrainian soldiers later played a key role in liberating Eastern Europe — only to see it re-occupied by Soviet forces.

Still, despite this history, many today wrongly credit the USSR — or “ruzzia” — as the savior of Europe in WWII. They forget that the Soviet regime:

• Built the Gulag system long before Hitler’s concentration camps.
• Killed millions, including through the Holodomor genocide in Ukraine.
• Operated as a brutal empire before, during, and after the war.

Why does Stalin not occupy the same space of condemnation as Hitler in global memory? Because Stalin made a deal. He became an ally of the U.S. and U.K. during the war, and in doing so, shifted his public image from invader to liberator — hiding his crimes behind the veil of wartime necessity.

Which brings us to today’s uncomfortable truth: What if Putin made a deal? If tomorrow he turned away from North Korea and China, would he suddenly become a “partner in peace”? Would the world excuse or forget his atrocities in Ukraine, just as so many have done with Stalin?

History teaches us this: Evil alliances and deals do not erase crimes — they only delay justice. As ruzzian officials march and glorify themselves on May 9, let’s remember who started WWII. Not just Hitler. But Hitler and Stalin — together. And history must not be rewritten to whitewash evil.