What Soviet Russia was like in 1945 (PHOTOS)

In February, an Allied conference was held in Yalta. Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, as leaders of the three powers, agreed on the new state borders and the fate of postwar Germany, as well as laid the foundations of the United Nations.

Amidst the fierce battles, soldiers found space and time for rest, music and dancing.

It was the first war where women participated so massively. And not as nurses, but as soldiers in full-fledged combat units. 

Pilots, machine-gunners, snipers, partisans. Women became real heroes and selflessly destroyed the enemy.

Victory! It was the main word of the year. It was celebrated by absolutely everyone in the country. The soldiers…

…as well as each Soviet family.

It was Yuty Levitan, the country's main radio voice, that announced the Victory on the radio. There were rumors that he barely made it to the radio room, as so many people had gathered to listen to the announcement. 

There was a big salute in honor of the Victory on May 9 in Moscow.

Soon soldiers began to return home. “We come from Berlin!” is written on top of the train.

Crowds of people (mostly women) gathered at the Belorussky railway station in Moscow with flowers to welcome their soldiers from the war.

The winners were welcomed back home as heroes and there were the most sincere tears and hugs on this day. 

The photo below is called: ‘Flowers to the winner’.

Pioneers, on a visit to the Kantemirovskaya tank division, sit listening with interest to the stories of the Victory.

On June 24, 1945, when most of the soldiers had already reached home from the front, the very first Victory Parade was held.

‘Marshal of Victory’ Georgy Zhukov led the parade on a white horse. 

And then, together with Joseph Stalin, they watched the parade from the Mausoleum tribune.

Soldiers threw defeated enemy banners in front of the Mausoleum.

Representatives of the Allied troops were also present at the Parade.

Following the parade, there was a light show.

Crowds gathered in the squares to see concerts in honor of the victory.

A pioneer parade, meanwhile, was held in destroyed Stalingrad.

Finally, there was peace. And the country was back to normal. 

Pioneer girls playing hoops.

Entire traffic jams lined up to get to a soccer match, the people's favorite sport in the USSR.

In August, a parade of athletes was traditionally held on the Red Square, striking with its scale and complexity of staging.

A column of ‘Krylya Sovetov’ (‘Wings of Soviets’) voluntary sports society members marching in a sports parade. 

The first Knowledge Day (September 1) was also celebrated after the end of the war. Students with heroes’ medals returned to classes.

One of the most beautiful buildings in Moscow is the Pashkov House opposite the Kremlin. Today, there is heavy traffic around it.