Published on: 2026-04-30
Source: Official website of the State –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
In the spring of 1945, the war was already nearing its end, but Berlin lay ahead. Soviet soldiers had been marching towards it for almost four years. Behind them were Moscow, Stalingrad, the Kursk bulge, liberated cities, losses, and thousands of kilometers of front roads.
The Reichstag building for the fighters was not just a building. Yes, by 1945 it was no longer the main political center of Germany. But it was exactly perceived as a symbol of Nazi power. Therefore, raising the red banner over it meant putting a visible point in the war.
The Berlin operation began on April 16, 1945. The city was defended by units of the Wehrmacht, SS, Volkssturm, and military academy cadets. The fighting was intense. The Germans held on for every block, every house. The Reichstag was also prepared for defense: windows were bricked up, firing points were made inside, and basements and corridors were turned into fortifications.
On April 30, the assault began. It was very difficult to approach the building. Before the Reichstag, there was an open area that was fired upon by machine guns and artillery. Soldiers ran in short bursts, hid in craters, moved through smoke and under fire.
Several assault groups immediately broke through to the building. Many had red flags. They were issued in advance so that at least one banner could be quickly installed on the Reichstag. Among the first to reach it were Rais Imzhan Koshkarbaev and Grigory Bulatov. They installed a red flag on the roof. This happened even before the official Victory Banner appeared above the Reichstag.
But the main battle continued inside. Smoke, soot, and dust stood in the corridor. There was almost no light. German soldiers resisted on the stairs, floors, and in the basement. Soviet fighters managed to advance slowly: room by room, stair by stair. Sometimes they fought for one landing for hours.
And here is the moment that became part of history. On the evening of April 30, Mikhail Egorov and Meliton Kantaria, together with Alexei Berest, climbed onto the roof. They were soldiers of the 150th Rifle Division. The stairs were damaged, debris lay around, gunfire had not yet stopped. The banner needed not just to be delivered, it needed to be raised and secured.
On the night of April 30 to May 1, they installed the assault flag of the 150th division on the Reichstag. It was this cloth that later became the official Banner of Victory.
Interestingly, the Victory Banner was not a random flag. Nine special banners were prepared in advance for the assault, corresponding to the number of divisions of the 3rd Shock Army. One of them bore the hammer and sickle, a star, and an inscription with the unit’s name. After the war, this banner was preserved as a relic. It is now kept in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow.
Important to remember: the appearance of the flag did not mean that the battle was over immediately. In the Reichstag, there were still German soldiers. They continued to resist in separate rooms and basements. Berlin capitulated only on May 2.
The famous photograph by Yevgeny Khaldei, where a Soviet soldier raises the flag over the Reichstag, was taken after the main battles. The photographer specially recreated this moment for the shot. Therefore, the picture does not show the actual nighttime hoisting of the flag, but it nevertheless became one of the main symbols of Victory.
On May 8, 1945, Germany signed the act of unconditional surrender. In Moscow, due to the time difference, it was already May 9. Therefore, this very day became Victory Day for the Soviet Union.
The Victory Banner over the Reichstag has become a symbol not only of the army’s victory. Behind it stand four years of war, destroyed cities, fallen comrades, families who waited for soldiers to come home, and people who never saw a peaceful morning. Therefore, this flag still reminds not only of victory but also of its cost.
#ScientificRegiment2026 #ScientificRegiment
Subscribe to the Telegram channel “Our GUG”Publication date: 30.04.2026
Please note; this information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an exact report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.