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On May 9, 2023, Russia celebrated Victory Day, the country's annual holiday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany. On May 8, "Sabereen News" – a social media news outlet affiliated with the Iran-backed militias in Iraq – released a video on Telegram marking the occasion.[1]
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sabereen News has served as a stalwart propagator of Moscow's war narratives in the Middle East, with its coverage predominantly favoring pro-Russia war narratives over Ukrainian ones. The outlet has also sharply increased the production and dissemination of multimedia content aimed at celebrating Moscow as being part of a "global axis of resistance" pitted against the U.S. and NATO.[2]
Sabereen News' Victory Day video aimed to brandish a half-century of close ties between Russia and Iraq. The video recounted key developments in the two countries' relations over several geopolitical eras: WWII (1941-1945), The Cold War (1946-1990), and the post-Cold War era (1990-present).
WWII: The "Fight For Freedom"
The video anchored the 1944 establishment of Soviet-Iraqi relations in both nations' fight against Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers during WWII.
Describing the Second World War as a "fight for freedom," Sabereen News noted in the video's text: "Iraq met victory by standing shoulder to shoulder with the USSR, the USA, and Great Britain."[3]
The Cold War: "USSR Remained A Reliable Partner Of Iraq"
However, Sabereen News asserted that "yesterday's allies, the countries of the West," became enemies at the conclusion of WWII. In contrast, the "USSR remained a reliable partner of Iraq" from 1950 to 1900, the video noted.
Collapse Of USSR Led To "NATO Fire" In Iraq From 2003 To 2011
By 1993, according to the video, the recent collapse of the USSR set the stage for "regional chaos and instability," which culminated in previous "allies" attacking Iraq – a period from 2003-2011, encompassing the Iraq War, which the video described as the "NATO fire."
"The NATO fire could not erase the historical memory of Iraq," the video's text read amid a montage of bloody scenes from the Iraq War, continuing: "You can wipe cities off the face of the earth, but you can't erase memory."
"Iraq And Russia Won WWII Together. They Will Win Together Today"
Following the Iraq War, the video noted that "Moscow and Baghdad began to get closer again" creating a "new format for solving problems of regional security." Showing a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the flags of Iraq and Russia, the video concluded: "Iraq and Russia won WWII together in 1945. They Will Win Together Today."
[1] Telegram, May 8, 2023.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM report Putin's Friends In Iraq: Russia's Burgeoning Partnership With Sabereen News, The Mouthpiece Of The Iran-Backed Militias In Iraq (Part I), April 24, 2023.
[3] Of note, Iraq did not issue a declaration of war on the Axis Powers until 1942, after a British intervention deposed the Iraqi Government of Prime Minister Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani. A pan-Arab, Al-Gaylani undertook secret negotiations with the Axis Powers prior to the British intervention in an attempt to detach the country from its alliance with Britain.
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