Analysis

Remembrance or victory? Debate over May 8 and May 9 in Belarus

 08.05.2026, 15:47
img
Members of the Kyiv Organization of Veterans of the Rocket and Space Forces walk along the Alley of Fallen Heroes to the Eternal Glory Memorial to lay flowers at the Eternal Flame on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II. Kyiv, Ukraine. May 8, 2025. Photo: Yuliia Ovsiannikova / Ukrinform

Victory Day is celebrated on May 9 in many countries of the post-Soviet space. In Europe, however, a similar holiday is largely absent. Instead, May 8 is observed as Remembrance Day, a time to honor the victims of World War II. Why do these two dates exist, and which one is considered correct? Additionally, when were the two Victory Days celebrated in the USSR? Belsat analyzes these questions in our article.