Communist and Anti-Fascists Torchlight Procession against Fascism in city Kerch (Crimea, Russia). Victory Day or 9 May marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the part of the Second World War known in the Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War where the Soviet Union fought against Nazi Germany. In the former Soviet Union this festival was celebrated to commemorate the Red Army's victory over the Nazi forces. The Russian Federation has officially recognised 9 May since its formation in