Великая Отечественная война

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Great Patriotic War (term)

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Великая Отечественная война

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Literally, “great war of the fatherland”. The term Оте́чественная война́ (Otéčestvennaja vojná, “patriotic war”, literally “war of the fatherland”) (оте́чество (otéčestvo), Russia), was meant to represent a defensive war against an invader.

It was first used in 1844 to refer to Russian resistance against the French invasion in 1812. On the centenary of the French defeat, it became known as Вели́кая Оте́чественная война́. This term reappeared in the Pravda, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, on 23 June 1941, just a day after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, to motivate Soviet citizens to unite and fight against the invasion.

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Вели́кая Оте́чественная война́ • (Velíkaja Otéčestvennaja vojná) f inan (genitive Вели́кой Оте́чественной войны́)

1. (history) Great Patriotic War (1941–1945)

   Synonym: ВОВ (VOV)

"Оте́чественная война́" ("patriotic war") was also used for two earlier wars: resistance against the French invasion of Russia (Оте́чественная война́ 1812 го́да), and World War I (Втора́я оте́чественная война́ ("Second Patriotic War"), within the Russian Empire).

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