Today, the liberation of Sør-Varanger was marked. 80 years ago, Soviet forces liberated the municipality from German occupation. Norway and Russia mark the liberation of Sør-Varanger separately There have been two commemorations at the Liberation Monument in Kirkenes, first a Norwegian one and then a Russian one. At twelve o’clock the Russian Consul General Nikolay Konygin gave a speech. The consul general spoke in both Russian and Norwegian. In his speech, he focused on the brave Soviet soldiers. – Thousands of Soviet citizens lost their lives. This is our common story. It is our moral duty to preserve and leave history to future generations, said the Russian Consul General. Afterwards, large quantities of roses were laid down. Olga Smirnova was one of those who took part in the Russian selection. She is a Russian citizen and lives in Sør-Varanger. Olga and several others together with her have collected money for the commemoration. They have bought roses with the money. – Last year we planted 1,000 roses, this year we had 2,000 roses. Maybe next year we will manage 3,000 roses, said Olga. – Why are you doing this? – Because we remember history and we show respect with flowers. We always put flowers on monuments in Russia, said Olga. Earlier in the day, the Norwegian commemoration was held 80 years since the liberation of Sør-Varanger Mayor Magnus Mæland (H) and county mayor Hans-Jacob Bønå (H) laid wreaths, together with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. County mayor of Finnmark Hans-Jacob Bønå and mayor of Sør-Varanger Magnus Mæland are ready for the commemoration in Kirkenes. Photo: Hilde Olaussen / news County mayor Hans-Jakob Bønå expressed gratitude to those who fell during the war and those who fought for peace. – No one felt the horror of war more than the people here, said Bønå. Bønå also spoke about having respect for national borders and that attack is not the language of those who want freedom, peace and progress for their neighbours. – Democracy, respect for national borders is what builds a better world, said Bønå. Magnus Mæland expressed gratitude to our allies during the Second World War. Mayor Magnus Mæland lays a wreath for those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Photo: Hilde Olaussen / news – We honor those who fought for our freedom and who sacrificed everything. We must never forget the horrors of war, Mæland said in his speech. Magnus Mæland also draws parallels to the current situation of war and unrest in the world. – We must never forget what authoritarian leaders can do, that is why this day is so important, said Mæland. – When you mention authoritarian leaders, do you draw parallels to the situation today? – Yes I do, authoritarian leaders with hate speech sow discord and create enemies, just like we saw during the Second World War, said Mæland. State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson (Ap) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is impossible to have a joint marking together with Russia now that they are at war with another neighboring country. – But at the same time it is important to show gratitude to the Red Army and the sacrifices that occurred during the liberation, Petersson said. State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is the reason there will be no joint commemoration this year either, as there was during the 75-year commemoration. The great disaster At 02.15 on 25 October 1944, four soldiers from the Red Army stood by the mines in Kirkenes, where probably several thousand people sought refuge, and told the Finnmarkings that they were free. Among those who could go free was Evelyn Olsen Lid, who was 10 years old at the time. What met Olsen Lid on the outside scared her so much that she wanted to go back into the mine tunnel. The reason was that the entire Kirkenes lay in ruins. The city was among the places that experienced being bombed the most during the entire Second World War. At the same time as Sør-Varanger was liberated, this was the start of the brutal forced evacuation and burning of Finnmark and Nord-Troms. Since Autumn Day in 1944, liberation has been marked, often with both Norwegian and Russian representatives. King Harald, then Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were all present during the commemoration five years ago in Kirkenes. But that is no longer the case. Since Russia went to full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, there have been no joint commemorations in Sør-Varanger. OTHER TIMES: Norway’s then Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov at the Liberation Monument in Kirkenes during the liberation anniversary in 2019. In the background are, among others, King Harald, then Prime Minister Erna Solberg and the Russian ambassador to Norway, Tejmuraz Ramishijvili. Photo: Heiko Junge / Heiko Junge During the commemoration in 2022, the liberation monument in Kirkenes was dominated by Norwegians, Ukrainians and Russians with Ukrainian flags. Last year, Russian government officials were urged not to appear at memorials. The consul general in Kirkenes, Nikolaj Konygin, chose not to listen. When he laid a Russian wreath over the municipality’s own wreath, there was complete discord at the Liberation Monument. – You should be able to lay flowers at a monument, but not above the municipality’s official wreath, said a furious mayor Magnus Mæland (H) then. In connection with last year’s marking, Mæland received criticism because he chose to split the marking. In addition to laying a wreath at the Liberation Monument, he laid a wreath and gave a speech at the War Mothers Monument. Liberation has never before been marked there. Invited Zelenskyj Last year, the county mayor of Finnmark, Hans-Jacob Bønå (H), invited the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Eastern Finnmark. – We want to show our gratitude for the Ukrainian soldiers who sacrificed blood for the liberation of Eastern Finnmark, their descendants and their fatherland, he said last year. Bønå believes that Russia wrote itself out of cooperation on the marking, when the country went on the attack in 2022. – Now they are deep in Ukrainian territory. Then it will be completely impossible for us to be able to cooperate on a peace marking and a liberation, as we have done in the past. He said this during the opening of the county council in Finnmark last week, where the 80th anniversary was marked. President Zelenskyi did not attend. Whether there will be controversy surrounding the liberation monument and the commemoration this year is currently unknown. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news Published 25.10.2024, at 09.42 Updated 25.10.2024, at 17.17
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Marks that it is 80 years since Sør-Varanger was liberated – news Troms and Finnmark
