Embassy of Russia in New Zealand

🇷🇺 Уважаемые граждане Российской Федерации!

🗓 В соответствии с Указом Президента Российской Федерации от 16 июня 2026 г. №428 20 сентября 2026 г. состоятся выборы депутатов Государственной Думы Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации девятого созыва.

🗳 Для проведения голосования на территории Новой Зеландии образован избирательный участок №8241 в Посольстве России в Веллингтоне.
📍 Адрес: 57 Messines Road, Karori, Wellington, 6012 (здание Посольства)
🕚 Время проведения голосования: 20 сентября 2026 г. с 08:00 до 20:00.

Принять участие в выборах смогут граждане Российской Федерации, достигшие ко дню голосования 18-летнего возраста и предъявившие действительный российский заграничный паспорт при личной явке.

#Выборы2026
#Госдума2026
#ЕДГ2026

#Victory81

🌟 On August 18, 1945, during the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation, Soviet forces launched the Kuril Islands Landing Operation, an amphibious assault aimed at liberating the archipelago from Japanese militarists.

Preparations for the operation were carried out within an extremely tight timeframe. Major General Alexey Gnechko, Commander of the Kamchatka Defence Area, received the order to launch the offensive on August 15, 1945 – just two days before the operation began.

The plan called for a surprise amphibious landing on the northwestern coast of Shumshu Island, accompanied by a main strike against the Kataoka naval base. After securing the island, Soviet forces were to use it as a bridgehead to liberate Paramushir, Onekotan and the other islands.

Hitler's allies were determined to hold the archipelago at any cost and had turned the Kuril Islands into a powerful fortified stronghold. 👉 The main defensive line across the Kuril chain consisted of a well-developed network of strongpoints, numerous pillboxes and reinforced-concrete shelters for troops. The defences were particularly formidable on Shumshu and Paramushir.

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⚔️ The operation to drive the militarists from the Kuril Islands began on the night of August 18. Soviet troops had to disembark from ships in water up to two metres deep and make their way ashore under enemy artillery fire. The main landing force came under heavy flanking fire from Japanese batteries.

By the evening of August 18, thanks to the decisive and coordinated actions of the main force and advance units, Soviet troops had taken control of Heights 165 and 171.

On the morning of August 19, negotiations began on the surrender of the Japanese forces. By August 23, Japanese troops began surrendering en masse. Thanks to the decisive actions of the Pacific Fleet sailors, the entire Kuril Island chain was secured between August 24 and September 1.

💬 Excerpt from Joseph Stalin's address to the people on September 2, 1945:

Today, September 2, political and military representatives of Japan signed an act of unconditional surrender.

Utterly defeated on sea and land, and completely surrounded by the armed forces of the United Nations, Japan has admitted defeat and has laid down her arms. [...]

This means that the southern part of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands revert to the Soviet Union and henceforth will serve not as a barrier between the Soviet Union and the ocean and as a base for Japanese attack upon our Far East but as a direct means of communication between the Soviet Union and the ocean and a base for the defence of our country against Japanese aggression.

❗️ The Kuril Islands Landing Operation fundamentally changed the strategic situation in the Far East and predetermined the defeat of Japanese militarism, thereby accelerating the end of World War II.

The liberation of the Kuril Islands not only strengthened the country’s defensive positions but also provided the Soviet Union with a strategically important foothold in the Pacific.

🥟 On 13 of August the Russian Embassy hosted a masterclass in making traditional Russian dumplings 'pelmeni' for ASEAN resident missions in New Zealand.

During the event, guests were introduced to the preparation technique of pelmeni, as well as to the historical and cultural particularities that distinguish this dish from similar culinary traditions elsewhere. The masterclass concluded with a tasting of the freshly prepared dumplings.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the ASEAN Missions for their participation and keen interest.

#ASEAN

#Victory81

🌟 On August 15, 1945, the Soviet forces liberated Korea from Japanese colonial rule as part of the Manchurian strategic offensive. The Red Army fought side by side with the Korean patriots against the Japanese militarist regime, defeated the Kwantung Army and liberated the people of Korea, bringing #WW2 in the Far East to an end.

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The Korean Peninsula was under Japanese occupation for 35 years. In fact, Tokyo established its protectorate over the Peninsula back in 1905 and fully annexed it five years later. The Japanese regime, established in Korea in 1910, was excessively brutal, with the colonial administration intent on seizing all the natural resources they could procure in this region. The Japanese criminals employed harsh repressive measures against the local population. There was an intentional effort to eradicate the Korean language and national culture.

During WWII, the Allied powers devoted considerable attention to liberating Korea in their discussions. In December 1943, China, the United States and the UK adopted the Cairo Declaration (the USSR joined it too). According to the document, the Parties agreed that “Japan will be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed….” At the Yalta Conference, the Soviet Union took the commitment to enter the war against Japan after defeating Nazi Germany in Europe.

⚔️ On August 9, 1945, the Red Army launched Manchurian strategic offensive. The Soviet forces succeeded in rapidly advancing to northeast China. With the support of partisans of the Korean national liberation movement, the Soviet soldiers liberators were pushing south and sought to break through Japan’s defence lines along the frontline stretching for as much as 5'000 kilometres.

On the first day of the operation, Kyonghung, a Korean county, as well as Unggi, Najin, Chongjin, Wonsan and other cities were liberated. By advancing in coordination with the Korean patriots, the Red Army succeeded in expelling the Japanese from the Peninsula’s northern part by mid-August, having defeated the Kwantung Army.

On August 14, Emperor Hirohito accepted Japan’s unconditional surrender and announced it to the nation.

Today, both Pyongyang and Seoul mark August 15 as the National Liberation Day of Korea.

#SovietSoldierSavedTheWorld: The battle for liberty and independence of the Korean nation claimed the lives of 12’000 Soviet soldiers and officers. In August 1946, Pyongyang honoured their memory by erecting a monument as a gesture of gratitude to the Soviet soldiers liberators (👉 Learn more about the Manchurian strategic offensive and the heroism of the Soviet soldiers in liberating northeastern China and Korea in our in-depth historical feature).

💬 Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department Alexey Fadeev:

We are deeply grateful to our Korean friends for the exemplary care they have taken of the Soviet soldiers’ graves and for their respect of our shared history.

The civilised and responsible approach demonstrated by the DPRK in preserving military memorials stands in stark contrast to the situation in a number of Eastern European countries, where monuments to the Soviet liberator soldiers are being barbarically destroyed while Hitler’s henchmen and convicted war criminals are being honoured

(From the briefing by Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department Alexey Fadeev on August 6, 2026)

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🇷🇺🇰🇵 #RussiaDPRK

The traditions of comradeship in arms established in 1945 have provided a solid foundation for promoting friendly and neighbourly relations between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the new era. The allied nature of bilateral relations forged through the bonds of comradeship in arms has been fully reflected in the DPRK’s firm support for Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.

Eternal memory to the DPRK servicemen who fell in the battles to liberate the Kursk Region from Ukrainian neo-Nazis and foreign mercenaries.