Today the European countries mark Victory over Fascism Day. On May 9, 1945, with the signing of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, the Second World War officially came to an end. The war involved 61 countries, with a total population of 2.1 billion people, or 96 percent of the world’s population, and claimed more than 50 million lives. Of the more than 50 million victims, 20 million were from the former Soviet Union, and over 30 million were civilians.
During the Second World War, Macedonia stood on the side of the anti‑fascist coalition. According to historians’ estimates, 33.000 people lost their lives in Macedonia in the fight against the fascist occupiers, including more than 7.000 Macedonian Jews who were deported to the Treblinka concentration camp.
