The campaign was launched by a Russian doctor from Novokuznetsk Vadim Raskin on March 11, following the decision of Angela Merkel not to attend the Victory Parade on May 9. Raskin proposed to send Victory Day congratulation letters to the German Chancellor and attached her address —Deutschland, Willy-Brandt-Straße 1, 10557 Berlin Bundeskanzleramt, Fr. Angela Merkel.
Raskin was surprised that his Facebook appeal became so popular among people from different countries. He received a lot of letters and was interviewed by several Russian media outlets.
According to Raskin, his initiative is aimed at raising attention to important historic events, such as WWII. He said that the political situation may change, but the attitude to a number of historic events should remain the same.
The doctor claims that by refusing to come to Moscow Angela Merkel not only offends Russia, but also “sets Germans up”, as May 9 is an important commemoration date for both countries. Raskin does not support insulting words and claims that congratulations would be a best way to remind the German Chancellor about the significance of the event.