Why Ukrainians still honor MAY 9th Victory Despite Bans| Kharkiv 2026

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]Millions of Ukrainians fought in World War as part of the Red Army of the Soviet Union and across several generations, Victory Day on May 9th was deeply rooted in everyday life here.

[00:00:17]Today in Ukraine, the commemoration of victory over Nazi Germany has officially shifted from the old Soviet May 9th to May 8th and Soviet symbols and songs related to the Great Patriotic War are banned now. But despite these changes, a lot of Ukrainians, especially the older generation, keep the old tradition alive and today on the old Victory Day, May 9th, we're here in Kharkiv at the Memorial of Glory as people come here to honor, to remember those who fought against Nazi Germany during the war.

[00:01:10]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> This year, guys, I can tell you that there are much more people here because I was here last year and this place was pretty empty.

[00:02:03]So, I'll give you a little context. This memorial in Kharkiv was built in 1977.

[00:02:11]It's pretty big, the largest in the city. It was created to remember Soviet soldiers, partisans, and civilians who died during World War II. It's located in the forest park area where during the Nazi occupation a lot of executions of Jewish civilians, prisoners of war, and local residents took place. It was designed by a whole team of sculptors and architects. So, it's pretty important historical place.

[00:02:50]And for many locals in Kharkiv, this is a place of remembrance, of course. A lot of families here have their own World War II stories passed down from parents or grandparents, and people come here with real respect.

[00:03:26]>> [sighs and gasps] >> Salute, da?

[00:03:47]>> [sighs] >> 4 years old only?

[00:04:20]>> This memorial complex is actually very beautiful. It is like a gigantic park and there are a lot of memorials with inscriptions in Russian and I'll read you one of them. I'll flip my camera, guys. In the battles against fascism, the people of Kharkiv uh like the entire Soviet people showed unmatched courage and heroism. 200 Oops. 230 of our fellow countrymen were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and tens of thousands were decorated with orders and medals. So, all the inscriptions are still in the Russian language. So far, nothing has been really decommunized, but we will see.

[00:05:13]We will see. It might change soon.

[00:05:18]It's an interesting fact, guys, that I actually spotted some familiar faces. I was here last year and I've noticed a really old granny and she was carrying also a picture or a couple of pictures, maybe, of her parents and she was like really old. And this year, she came again with the same pictures and she looked very nice. So, it means that she survived one more year and I was really pleased to see her even though I don't know her at all. She's like a stranger for me.

[00:05:54]And yeah, just people came and I've been here for maybe 2 hours already. And people are coming and coming and bringing flowers. So, there is also police patrolling.

[00:06:11]So, we would behave properly, don't play Soviet songs and stuff.

[00:06:17]But, generally speaking, everything is nice and calm.

[00:06:58]>> [singing] [music] >> I actually remember when I was a schoolgirl in mid-90s and it was 20 years ago. A lot of veterans were still alive and we would invite them for a concert and we were singing their favorite war songs and as kids we learned them by heart and I remember a lot of war songs actually, songs related to the Great Patriotic War. And it was also our duty to come to local veterans' homes if they couldn't come to a concert, so they were probably already weak or maybe physically challenged and we would come to their houses and bring some groceries, some postcards, maybe small gifts. So, my point is that this day was very big and even my generation, we still remember about the veterans and how important this day were were for them.

[00:08:16]I remember one of my classmates had grandparents who were veterans. They always came and share all the stories and we were listening. We were actually shocked because I remember one grandma who shared everything in a very explicit details and I can tell you one thing for sure from my own experience.

[00:08:41]When we were singing those songs, most veterans had tears in their eyes.

[00:08:50]They absolutely loved those songs and they were very close to their hearts.

[00:08:55]And now, friends, all the songs related to the Great Patriotic War, they are banned.

[00:09:04]If, for example, I would play in this park some famous war song, police who is patrolling here, they would approach me.

[00:09:15]Uh I hope they would not arrest me, but definitely I would be asked to turn the song off.

[00:09:23]So, you know, maybe it's a good thing that real veterans uh they don't see what's going on here now.

[00:09:35]And it's not easy. My point is that it's not easy to shift from that date. It was a very big holiday. I remember huge fireworks. I remember all those parades, all those songs.

[00:09:51]Everything was so important.

[00:09:56]And yeah, I might receive a lot of hate comments, but you could see everything with your own eyes. You [music] could see those uh people falling in their knees with tears in their eyes because uh they wanted to come here specifically on this day because this day is something that has been with them during their entire lives.

[00:10:25]And yeah, I wanted just to show you some insights.

[00:10:30]I can see that uh some people are still [music] coming, but in the morning it was a little bit more crowded.

[00:10:38]And I think >> [music] >> we should call it a day.

[00:10:42]I will return home. Happy Victory Day, guys, to you.

[00:10:48]And I'll see you very soon from Kharkiv again. [music] I am again here and I will share some insights from this city. So, thank you very much for watching and again, happy Victory Day.