The Russian Consulate in Kirkenes arranged on Friday a mark of the Russian victory day after World War II. This happened at the city’s liberation monument. Before the event itself, a man got up in front of the monument and recorded a video greeting while holding a Russian flag. When asked who he greeted, the man said he greeted friends who fight for Russia in the war against Ukraine. This is according to The Barents Observer, who wrote about the incident first. The man should then have brought out a flag with the symbol of the Wagner group and recorded a new video greeting. The Wagner Group is a paramilitary organization that has been an important part of Russia’s war in Ukraine. -Symbol of war crimes Magnus Mæland (H), mayor of Sør-Varanger, reacts strongly to the incident. – This is not good. The video greetings of soldiers who commit outrageous acts in Ukraine thought I would not happen in Lille Kirkenes, he says and continues:-The Wagner flag is a symbol of war crimes. Our monuments are for peace and reconciliation. This show today represents the opposite. Both the Norwegian central authorities and the municipality of Sør-Varanger stayed away from the mark. PST tells news that they do not want to comment on the incident. news has been in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the incident, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far not commented on. According to Barents, many affected by the world war Video greetings were filmed before Nikolaj Konygin, Russia’s Consul General in Kirkenes, gave his speech. news has not been in contact with the Russian Consulate for comment on the specific incident. The Russian embassy has so far no comment. But General Consul Nikolaj Konygin spoke to news’s reporter on the spot after the speech. He explained why victory day after World War II is important to Russians. Nikolaj Konygin, Russia’s Consul General in Kirkenes. Photo: Gunnar Sætra / news – There is not a single family in Russia who do not have relatives affected by the war, Konygin said. – Everyone has a relative who has participated in the war. We must honor their memory and their efforts. There are hundreds of Russians in Sør-Varanger municipality. The day is used for propaganda Jelizaveta Verejkina is a journalist in Barents Observer from Russia. She generally commented on the victory day, and thought it was still an important day. “We have to avoid repeating the errors, but they are repeated, unfortunately,” she said. Still, she regrets that the day is spent in Kremlin’s propaganda. – It removes the entire core of this marking and is left as an instrument for the Kremlin to reach its goals. Published 09.05.2025, at. 21.29 Updated 09.05.2025, at. 21.40
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