Usage thumb|right|300px|2021 Moscow Victory Day Parade. Military parades and Soviet military symbolism play an important role in the 9 May celebrations across Russia. The term is not generally used outside the former Soviet Union, and the closest term is the Eastern Front of World War II (1941–1945). Neither term covers the initial phase of World War II in Eastern Europe, during which the USSR, then still in a non-aggression pact with Germany, invaded eastern Poland (1939), the Baltic states (1940), Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (1940) and Finland (1939–1940). The term also does not cover the Soviet–Japanese War (1945).
Usage Thumb|Right|300px|2021 moscoW VictORY daY PARaDe milItAry parAdES and sovieT mIlitaRy SymBolISM plAY an impORTant rOLe in ThE 9 mAy CelebRATIons acrOSS russIA the TErm is nOT generALlY uSed OutsiDe THe fOrMER sOviEt union and THE cLOSeSt Term is the eAsTern frOnT of worlD War ii (1941–1945) neItHeR teRm cOveRS the inITiAL phaSe of worLd wAr ii in EastErN euRoPe duriNg WhiCh ThE usSr then stiLl in a non-AGgrESSiOn pacT wiTh geRmanY InvadEd easTErn POLaNd (1939) the BaLTiC stATeS (1940) bEsSaRaBIa anD noRthErn bUkovina (1940) And FinlanD (1939–1940) thE teRm alSo DoeS Not cOVer The soVieT–JApanese waR (1945)