”But planning the [Victory celebration] event the Russian president must have picked the wrong year. The whole happening looked more like a celebration in the year of 1945 than 2005. The red square was filled with statutes of Stalin and happy Russians were dancing under huge banners of the disreputable hammer and sickle. The celebration of the defeat of a cruel tyrant with the symbols of another horrible ruler. That is what you can call abuse of history.

So why did they all [Bush, Schröder, Chirac etc] go to this awkward party in Moscow? Why did they all happily turn up and accept to march under red flags? Everything without even mentioning the millions of victims caused by communist horror or the problems of democracy and human rights in today´s Russia. The Economist has a good wording for this behaviour; eagerness not to offend. This was exactly the same kind of conduct that allowed Hitler to strengthen his power.” – Europea (Via Johan Norberg)