The Unknown war | Russia Beyond The Headlines

For every Russian, World War II is first and foremost the so-called Great Patriotic War, which started on June 22, 1941 and lasted four long years until May 9, 1945.

It is this unknown war and the people that fought in it, its consequences and its parallels in today’s world that RBTH aims to uncover in the special project titled "The Unknown War.”

Red Orchestra

Agent Kent: The rise and fall of the man who led the USSR’s ‘Red Orchestra’

How the Soviet intelligence network was created and exposed in Nazi Germany

Berlin Brandenburg Gate

Soviet tanks in WWII: Correcting the errors of the first 2 years

How the USSR transformed its inexperienced tank units into a deadly weapon

Children of war

Soviet children of war: 35 WWII diaries published in English

Unique book collecting the diaries written during WWII published in English

Immortal Regiment in London

Over 1,000 gather in London for first march of Immortal Regiment

Participants join procession in honor of ancestors’ role in World War II

Visual memories

Leningradsky Railway Station in Moscow

Leonid Brezhnev

Reproduction of "Victory"

The man who handed the USSR the Nazi plans for Barbarossa and Kursk

Known as ‘the man without a shadow,’ Yan Chernyak was a master spy

They'll never die: WWII and the eternal legacy of our grandfathers

RBTH editors share stories of the part their ancestors played in the war

Brothers in Arms

Arms of Life

What to tell our children

Thoughts on comprehending the meaning of World War II

“The air is red, the ground is shaking, you desperately want to live...”

Small photo along with a big story from a veteran

Immortal Regiment

Immortal Regiment organizers expect 10 mln participants

1,200 coordinators in 42 countries preparing to conduct this event

Elbe meeting

Emphasis on bridge-building between Russia and U.S. at Elbe ceremony

Diplomats, veterans attend opening of memorial 71 years after WWII linkup

Immortal Regiment

'Immortal Regiment' to march through London on May 9

Procession of soldiers' relatives will commemorate victory in WWII

American veteran Belousovich poses with a Shpagin submachine gun. Source: From personal archives

American veteran with Russian heritage recalls Elbe Day

When East and West met in the middle

The Traktor team: Ivanov, Belikov, Yermasov, Gusev. Source: Personal archive

Traktor vs. Spartak: the football match ‘on the ruins of Stalingrad’

Just months after the city was liberated, a legendary football game took place

RBTH

RBTH honors Russian-American cooperation in World War II with special publication

RBTH published its special edition“Brothers in Arms,” which focuses on cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union during World War II.

Participants of the "Start" - "Flakelf" match in Kiev, August 6, 1942. Source: Wikipedia.org

FC Start vs. the Nazis: When football really was a case of life or death

The amazing story of the Soviet football team that dared to beat the Germans

RBTH

Victory Day 2015: China, Merkel and the new Russian patriotism

This year’s event held special political and cultural significance for Russia

Victory Day in Moscow

Russia celebrates Victory Day: Military parade on Red Square

The Victory Day parade, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazis, took place on Red Square in Moscow

Leningrad, (now St Petersburg), 1945-2013. Meeting of Soviet soldiers on Palace Square. Source: Sergei Larenkov

St. Petersburg photographer connects past and present

In the hands of marine pilot Larenkov, a camera turns into a time machine

Khaldei photo

Greatest photos of War and Victory by Yevgeny Khaldei

Yevgeny Khaldei is one of World War II's greatest frontline photographers

The U.S., UK and Canada supplied the USSR with some $130 billion worth of supplies during WWII. Source: Anatoly Garanin / RIA Novosti

Russian historian: Importance of Lend-Lease cannot be overestimated

Oleg Budnitsky on the $130 billion in Allied aid the USSR received in WWII