Victory Day 2015 - What Victory?

This coming week we will witness celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of the 2nd World War (aka Great Patriotic War) The war ended on 8 May 1945. Victory Day in Europe is celebrated in many countries but has always been a major event for FSU (Former Soviet Union) countries). Celebrations usually take place on 9th May each year and this year the Russian Federation will display its so called power with large display in Moscow.  The Russians as always will celebrate the defeat of fascism.

There is no doubt that the army of the SOVIET UNION (not just the Russians) played a major part in the defeat on Nazi Germany. The SU army got to Berlin ahead of the British and the Americans.

During the past year many of us have witnessed the rise of fascism again in the Russian Federation.
Try telling a Ukrainian citizen that fascism has been defeated and they will no doubt laugh and point you in the direction of Moscow. The next victory that many of us are looking forward to is the removal of the Putin Regime from Russia.

I remember a cartoon produced by the Kyiv Post one year which showed a 'Soviet Union' pensioner begging on the street and along comes a smartly dressed healthy looking German pensioner of the same age who kindly donates a large handout to the beggar. Made me think about what victory?

I'm convinced that the state of a country can be judged by two important measures. First, the state of the country's medical and health system and how it takes care of people and second, how it takes care of pensioners. Unfortunately it is well known that pensioners in the FSU receive a financial pension that can only be described as a pittance and barely enough to survive on each month. The majority of pensioners can only live as a result of support from their families.

However, German state pensioners receive one of the highest financial pensions in the world.
(See chart)

What victory you may be thinking?