Some holidays have history

Some holidays have history. This one has ours.

On 8 March 1917, female factory workers took to the streets of Petrograd and sparked a revolution. That same year, Russia became the first major world power to grant women the right to vote, alongside equal rights in education, civil service, and paid maternity leave. Much of what women in the West spent decades fighting for was already part of life here.

At the heart of this transformation stood Alexandra Kollontai. In 1913, she published an article called "Women's Day" in Pravda. She went on to become the world's first female minister, and later the world's first female ambassador.

In Russia, 8 March has always meant something more than just politics or progress. For centuries, women have stood at the very centre of our culture, holding families together, keeping warmth in and inspiring others through their endurance.

Today, here at the Embassy, we are thinking of all the women in our lives: our mothers, daughters, wives, sisters, friends, colleagues, and babushkas, who always seemed to know best.

Happy 8th of March — may you always be cherished, heard, and loved!

Source: Telegram "RusEmbUK"