The Second World War has long died down, but its echo still sounds in different countries. Eight decades later, the issues of historical memory, the liberation of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region from Japanese militarism and the role of the Soviet troops remain as relevant as ever.

On September 10, at the site of the multimedia press center of the Rossiya Segodnya media group within the framework of the “Liberation project: Peace to the Peoples” hosted a video call with a large number of participants spanning across many cities: Moscow – St. Petersburg – Jinan – Ulaanbaatar. The experts discussed how to preserve the common memory of the past in the face of modern challenges – digitalization, falsifications and different perceptions of history. They were united by one goal: not to let forget the truth about the feat of the peoples who brought peace to the Far East.

One war, one victory: Russia, China and Mongolia create a space of common memory

Denis Tsypkin, Director General of the Russian National Library (RNB), stressed that the 80th anniversary of the Victory is the starting point for strengthening ties with partners in Asia. “This is the year of our common victory – not only in the Great Patriotic War, but also in the entire Second World War. It is fundamentally important for us to form a common memory space,” he said.

This thesis is already being put into practice. One of the main steps was the preparation of a large-scale exhibition “One War. One Victory”, the international opening of which is scheduled for the end of September. The exhibition reveals previously little-known pages of the joint struggle. For example, documents have been presented for the first time showing that as early as 1943, when the siege of Leningrad had not yet been completely lifted, the Chinese National Library requested materials from its Soviet colleagues about the heroic defense of the city.

Tsypkin paid special attention to the role of Mongolia, whose contribution is often underestimated. “The help of our Mongolian brothers has been tremendous. The Soviet army received sheepskin coats and horses from friendly Mongolia, which were one of the most important traction forces. Mongolian horses and even camels were on the streets of Berlin,” said the head of the National Welfare Fund. He recalled that Mongolia became the first country to declare war on Germany after the attack on the USSR on June 22, 1941.

Another strategic area of cooperation was the creation of a single bibliographic space. The Russian National Library is working with the Chinese Library on a system that will allow researchers from the two countries to freely work with each other’s bibliographic resources. “This is the creation of an interconnected, unified information space,” Tsypkin explained.

In the future, work within the framework of the “shared memory” concept will be expanded. Russian Russian Orthodox Church plans to reflect the centuries–old experience of friendly and fraternal relations, from the activities of the first Russian ecclesiastical mission in China in the 18th century and the role of Russian researchers in the study of Mongolia to the joint struggle for peace in the 20th century.

The initiatives of the Russian National Library are aimed at showing the inextricable link between the past and the present through the prism of archival documents and cultural dialogue, strengthening mutual understanding between the allied nations for many years to come.

“Victory over fascism is the victory of the whole world”

Liu Zhipeng, director of the Anti-Japanese War Research Center at Shandong Pedagogical University, stressed the universal importance of the victory over fascism and warned against attempts to revise its results. “Despite the fact that 80 years have passed, the echo of history still sounds loud,” the Chinese representative said. He recalled that the aggressive war unleashed by Japanese militarism has become a disaster not only for China, but also for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

In his speech, the historian identified three key factors of the overall victory. First, the creation of an anti-fascist coalition, where countries with different systems were able to overcome differences in the face of a common enemy. Liu Zhipeng noted the contribution of all the allies: China, which held down the main forces of the Japanese army for 14 years; the USSR, which dealt a “crushing blow to the Kwantung Army”; and the United States with a counteroffensive in the Pacific Ocean. Secondly, it is the decisive role of the heroism and unity of the Chinese people. “The anti-Japanese National United Front was created on the initiative and with the assistance of the CPC. The whole nation was burning with a common hatred of the enemy and stood together against a common problem,” the speaker said. He stressed that the victory was achieved by joint efforts – from the regular army to the partisan detachments. Thirdly, the defeat of fascism was a natural outcome. “Those who lose the righteous path lose support, and those who commit outrages inevitably perish,” Liu Zhipeng summed up.

The Chinese historian paid special attention to modern history lessons. He warned that the world today is still restless, and urged to be on guard against any erroneous words and actions that are aimed at revising the history of aggression and denying war crimes. “We celebrate the victory not in order to continue to hate, but in order to learn wisdom and strength from these lessons and protect the indestructible peace,” concluded the Chinese expert.

“We sent everything we had”: how caravans from Mongolia helped bring Victory closer

“We were your first ally country,” said Dorjsuren Amartaivan, director of the House Museum of Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov in Ulaanbaatar. In her emotional speech, she emphasized Mongolia’s important role in defeating militarism and its inextricable historical connection with Russia.

Amartaivan recalled the fateful decision for her country made at the Yalta Conference in February 1945. “The status quo of independence of the Mongolian People’s Republic has been confirmed,” she said, stressing that this issue had been discussed by the Allies since the Tehran Conference.

A special place in the speech was occupied by the topic of Mongolia’s assistance to the Soviet Union during the most difficult years of the war. “We just helped with our humanity and sent everything we had,” said the museum director. We are talking about the famous caravans with gifts for the Red Army, which traveled up to 1,700 kilometers from the Mongolian Khovda to the Siberian Biysk within six months. “1,200 head of camels reached Biysk and were given away, presented with these gifts,” the representative of Mongolia recalled. An important symbol of reciprocity was the fact that the Soviet soldiers, who themselves needed everything, sent the Mongolian teamsters back with gifts in return – sugar, pasta and other products.

Separately, the speaker noted the role of Marshal Zhukov, the legendary man who managed to stop the Japanese at Khalkhin Gol in 1939. “These are historical facts that we cannot get away from. These are the facts that really happened, and we must perpetuate this,” said Amartaivan, outlining the main duty of contemporaries – to preserve the truth about the past.

Today, this work is carried out through exhibitions, documentaries and educational projects. Russian Russian centers “Russkiy Mir” Foundation for their support, she concluded optimistically, “Now we have such a wave that children want to learn Russian, they are interested.”

Korea: How the Red Army and the National Movement defeated Japanese colonialism together

Natalia Kim, Director of the International Center for Korean Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, emphasized the importance of the liberation of Korea and the role of Soviet troops in this process, as well as the peculiarities of the collective memory of a divided nation. “The liberation of Korea occupies a key place in the collective memory of the Korean people,” Kim said. “It has become a symbol of the fall of the Japanese Empire, the end of 35 years of colonial enslavement and the restoration of Korean statehood.”

The expert stressed that despite the division of Korea into two states in 1948 – the DPRK and the Republic of Korea – the memory of liberation remains a common value. This day is a national holiday in both countries, although it is celebrated with some differences.

An important aspect of the speech was the recognition of the role of the Red Army in the liberation of the Korean Peninsula. “The ground operation was conducted by the forces of the Soviet army, and this fact is recognized both in the DPRK and in the Republic of Korea,” Kim said. “There is even a monument to a Soviet soldier in the DPRK.” She also added that in August 1945, Koreans were happy to welcome both Soviet troops in the north and American troops in the south, since the main thing for them was the end of the Japanese colonial regime.

However, according to the expert, one should not forget about the contribution of the Koreans themselves. “Liberation is the result, first of all, of the national liberation movement,” Natalia Kim noted. “The Renaissance Army was created, committees for the restoration of statehood were formed, and people’s committees spontaneously arose.” She quoted the Korean national figure of that era, Yeo Un Hyun, who said that “30 million Korean compatriots were looking forward to liberation” – and not just waiting, but actively acting.

Photo archives against fakes: Russia Today media group shows the truth about the war in Asia

In the era of digital manipulation and different historical memories, the Russia Today media group is implementing a large-scale international project “Liberation. Peace to the nations.” Vasily Pushkov, Director of the media group’s Directorate for International Cooperation, spoke about why this is important right now. The project, supported by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, is based on unique photo archives inherited by Rossiya Segodnya from the legendary Soviet Information Bureau. “We continue to appreciate the photo archives that we inherited from our predecessors,” Pushkov stressed, noting that in 2025 there is practically no trust in photography, but authentic wartime footage remains a powerful tool for truth.

The key objective of the project is to show the events of the Second World War through the prism of the history of different countries. Pushkov gave a vivid example: the phrase “We returned our territories, we returned Sakhalin, we returned the Kuril Islands,” natural to Russians, sounds like nonsense to Japanese residents.

The speaker placed a special emphasis on the problem of historical memory among young people. He conducted an experiment by asking the audience about the events of August 6 and 9, 1945 (the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). The students answered correctly, but, according to Pushkov, Japanese peers have difficulty with this. “I talked live with Japanese students who, out of politeness to me, did not say out loud what they were eighty percent sure of – that the Soviet Union had dropped the bomb on them,” he stated.

It is to combat such trends that destroy not only our common past, but also the future, that this project was created. Exhibitions have already been held with great success in Beijing, and will soon open in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) and Shandong University (China), Pushkov said. The most difficult and important stage is the planned exhibition in Seoul (South Korea), where interpretations of the liberation of Korea must be treated with special sensitivity.

Historical memory is not just archival documents and museum exhibits. It is a living tissue that connects the past, present and future. Projects like “Liberation. Peace to the Peoples”, exhibitions in Ulaanbaatar, Beijing and Seoul, as well as scientific initiatives of Russian and Chinese universities prove that dialogue is possible even where there are differences in interpretations. It is important that this dialogue is conducted not only at the expert level, but also among young people – students who will preserve and pass on the memory of the war.