For arguably a majority of Ukrainians Victory Day, celebrated on May 9 to mark the defeat of Nazi forces at the hands of the Red Army, is a chance to go to the dacha, picnic in a park, or simply spend time with their families. Many also go to parades and monuments and give flowers to elderly veterans. Yet for a large portion of the population, whose families suffered extremely from Soviet abuse, the holiday is a celebration of a foreign oppressor and a hollow victory, which brought nothing but five more decades of communist dictatorship.
