In 2005, at the 60th anniversary of Victory Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted US President George W. Bush along with the leaders of various other countries to join in on the celebrations. While Victory Day is regarded as a Soviet holiday, the defeat of the Nazis and fascism is extremely important to the United States as well. While tensions between the United States and USSR certainly arose shortly after the conclusion of World War 2, a victory over the Nazis would likely have been impossible without the alliance between the two countries. While Victory Day has been both historically recognized and ideologically celebrated by Americans, there has been some recent conflict between the US and Russia over Victory Day. This conflict began in 2015, the 70th anniversary of Victory Day, when President Obama, along with the leaders of other Western countries, boycotted Victory Day over the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Despite the boycott of many Western leaders, the 2015 Victory Celebrations was one of the largest Victory Day celebrations in Russia to date. However, there were many tensions for Russians living in America as to whether or not to celebrate Victory Day in 2015 (Russians in Brooklyn, 2015). Issak Volodarsky, a Russian immigrant who had openly and proudly celebrated Victory Day in previous years elected not to do so in 2015. “Much of Victory Day is about celebrating the military. It felt wrong to celebrate and applaud the Russian Military when they were causing so much conflict in Ukraine,” he stated. Additionally, political tensions between Russia and the US have increased over the past couple years and many people fear a brewing conflict between the two super powers. This has also led many Americans to alter their view on Victory Day.
