"How Russians Lost the War," Mikhail Shishkin's op-ed piece on the occasion of Victory Day (New York Times, March 10, 2015) explains the grievous truth that the unimaginable sacrifices made by the Russian people during World War II did not, in the end, bring them victory. They saved themselves from hitler only to remain in Stalin's thrall: "The great victory only reinforced their great slavery."
Stalin and the Soviet Union are gone, but the war's legacy is very much present: "Once again, the dictatorship is calling on its subjects to defend the homeland, mercilessly exploiting the propaganda of victory in the Great Patriotic War. Russia's rulers have stolen my people's oil, stolen their elections, stolen their country. And stolen their victory."
Read the complete essay here.