On the night of April 30 to May 1, 1945, Soviet soldiers hoisted the red Banner of Victory over the defeated Reichstag in Berlin.
The honor of raising the red banner over the Nazi lair fell to the scouts of the 150th Infantry Division, Mikhail Egorov and Meliton Kantaria, led by Lieutenant Alexei Berest.
The Reichstag was captured by Red Army soldiers on May 1, 1945. The fighting in Berlin continued until the complete surrender of the Berlin garrison on May 2, 1945.
An interesting feature should be noted. SS troops took a particularly active part in the defense of the German capital and provided fierce resistance. These were the French division "Charlemagne", where mainly ethnic French served, and the SS division "Nordland", consisting of Dutch, Danes, and Norwegians. In this one can notice a certain paradox that the German capital was desperately stubbornly defended by non-Germans.
It is also interesting to note that for the Russian army this was the third time in history when it had to enter Berlin.
It was first taken in 1760 during the Seven Years' War, when the Russian vanguard of General Chernyshev captured the capital of Prussia. Russian troops entered Berlin for the second time in 1813, during the Napoleonic Wars. And finally, for the third time, Berlin was taken by storm after heavy fighting on May 2, 1945.