Unpublished historical photographs at the exhibition "Days of Okha. Greek Resistance. 1940-1945"

From October 19 to November 20, 2018 in the Museum of Moscow you can get acquainted with an important and dramatic page in the history of Greece and its people - the country’s participation in the Second World War and in the resistance movement. The exhibition is dedicated to the national holiday Ohi Day and was prepared by the Press and Communications Department of the Greek Embassy in Moscow with the support of the Moscow Museum. Part of the documentary photographs presented at the exhibition will be shown to the public for the first time.

Ohi Day, or Anniversary No, is a public holiday in Greece. It is commemorated on October 28, 1940, when the Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas rejected the ultimatum of Italy, demanding that Italian troops enter the territory of Greece. The Greek word ooh means no. In fact, the rejection of the ultimatum meant the entry of Greece into World War II.

Exhibition “Days of Okha. Greek Resistance 1940-1945 ”is called to talk about the staunchness and heroism of the Greeks during the Second World War. The war for Greece lasted 8 months on the battlefields and another 4 years in cities and rural areas, when the Greek resistance was active. During this time, the country lost, according to a number of sources, up to 20% of the population, many historical monuments were destroyed, the economy was destroyed.

Photos shown at the exhibition are included in the recently digitized archive of the General Secretariat of the Information and Communications of Greece. Some archive photographs are shown to the general public for the first time, including unpublished photographs of Soviet soldiers in the Greek mountains and in the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Athens during the celebration of the liberation of Greece from German occupation. The exhibition is accompanied by wartime audio materials, videos about the Greco-Italian War, the German invasion, the occupation of Athens and the resistance movement.

Nestor Tirovuzis, Head of the Press and Communications Department of the Embassy of Greece in Moscow: “The exhibition presents a little-known aspect in Russia regarding the recent history, which is the link between Greece and Russia. Greece fought heroically on two fronts for 8 months, displaying unprecedented resistance and inspiring others to fight Nazism. The exhibition recalls the suffering that racism can cause, with the hope that the horrors of World War II will not recur. ”

Alina Saprykina, director of the Museum of Moscow: “The materials presented at the exhibition will not leave anyone indifferent. For the Museum of Moscow, it is very important to preserve the living history and historical memory of generations, so we supported the initiative to hold such an exhibition. It will help Muscovites learn more about the congenial people of Greece and draw parallels with our own history. ”