09.05.2026.
Formal ceremony marking Victory over Fascism Day
A formal ceremony marking Victory over Fascism Day (Second World War) was held this evening at the National Theatre in Belgrade.
The event was attended by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister Đuro Macut, government ministers, members of the Defence Minister’s and the Chief of the General Staff’s collegiums, representatives of religious communities and the diplomatic corps, as well as World War II veterans and numerous distinguished guests.Addressing those in attendance, National Assembly Speaker Brnabić emphasized that today the word “war”, which was once frightening, is used lightly and far too often.
- Unfortunately, today the word “war” is spoken as though it were something normal and common, as a fact we must simply grow accustomed to and prepare for. This shows how much humanity has forgotten - the victims, the suffering, the horrors of armed conflict, and human anguish. Instead of peace, understanding, and respect for international law, the world powers do not hide their power and greed, they have erased words such as justice, principles, law and rights from the vocabulary – National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić said.She stressed that we must continue to keep alive the memory of the past in order to secure a peaceful future.
- May 9 is not just the day on which Nazi Germany signed its surrender in Berlin in 1945. It is also the day when humanity, at an unimaginable cost, ensured victory over an ideology that reduced human beings to numbers, and entire nations, including the Serbian people, to extermination targets. This is a day on which we must continue to repeat the immortal words of Albert Camus: “Peace is the only battle worth waging.” And that is exactly what we in Serbia intend to do, to fight for peace – National Assembly Speaker Brnabić said.At the ceremony, Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran, and Social Affairs and Chair of the Serbian government’s Committee for fostering the traditions of Serbia’s liberation wars, quoted the words of French statesman Charles de Gaulle, who once said that the Serbian people had written one of the most important chapters of resistance in Europe, and were among the nations that contributed most to the European struggle against fascism.
- Indeed, in those years when Europe was gripped by fear, when not only capitals were falling, but also the spirit of many European nations as a result of ideological blindness, deep hatred, and everything else that was taking place, the Serbian people fought shoulder to shoulder with the bravest, knowing full well that the Second World War was only a continuation of what had begun with the First. And in both wars, we suffered losses beyond the limits of biological recovery. Even today, in 2026, we are still unable to recover demographically from those great losses – Minister Đurđević Stamenkovski stressed, adding that May 9 is more than just a date in history, it is also a pledge to always protect our freedom and a warning never to allow ideologies such as fascism and Nazism, which claimed the lives of tens of millions of innocent people, to rise again.The formal ceremony organized by the Serbian government’s Committee for fostering the traditions of Serbia’s liberation wars, included musical and theatrical performances.
Victory over Fascism Day (Second World War), marked on May 9, commemorates the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, which brought the Second World War in Europe to an end.
PHOTOGALLERY
VIDEOGALLERY09.05.2026
mp4 (115,83 MB)The formal ceremony
