Великая Отечественная война

Etymology
lit. 'great war of the fatherland'. The term (, Russia), was meant to represent a defensive war against an invader.

It was first used in 1844 to refer to Russian resistance against the French invasion in 1812. On the centenary of the French defeat, it became known as Вели́кая Оте́чественная война́. This term reappeared in the Pravda, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, on 23 June 1941, just a day after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, to motivate Soviet citizens to unite and fight against the invasion.

Proper noun

 * 1)  Great Patriotic War (1941–1945)

Usage notes
"Оте́чественная война́" ("patriotic war") was also used for two earlier wars: resistance against the French invasion of Russia, and World War I ( ("Second Patriotic War"), within the Russian Empire).