Memorial and Mourning Day: compatriots took part in patriotic actions

On June 22, 82 years ago, at four o’clock in the morning, the first bombs fell on peacefully sleeping Soviet cities. The bloodiest war in world history has begun.

The Azerbaijani people certainly contributed to the great Victory in this war – with their selfless work in the rear, courage, and heroism on the battlefields. Commemorative events were held in Baku in memory of the Azerbaijani heroes of the Great Patriotic War. The participants of the “Candle of Memory” campaign honored the memory of the fallen heroes. In front of the memorial, they lit hundreds of candles and put out “We remember!” inscription for them. The organizers of the action: Russian compatriots from the Azerbaijani Cossack Community built a living picture of several hundred candles and lamps at the Eternal Flame on the square near the military obelisk.

The event was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Azerbaijan M. Evdokimov, the Military Attache of Russia, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Azerbaijan A. Ravkov, the Executive Power of the Sabunchi district of Baku, the Committee of Veterans of War, Labor and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as organizations of Russian compatriots. More than 600 thousand Azerbaijanis fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. More than half of them did not return.

More than 1.5 million Kazakhstan citizens went to the battlefields of the Second World War, more than 600 thousand of them died, and the fate of 271 thousand is still unknown. An all-Kazakhstan prayer service was held for the soldiers who died and went missing during the Second World War. Services were held in all the central mosques and Orthodox and Catholic churches of the country.

The international action “Candle of Memory” is taking place in Kyrgyzstan. The famous Leningrad Symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich was performed at the monument to the besiegers by the Grand Symphony Orchestra of the Bishkek City Hall under the direction of Urmat Tentimishov. Victory volunteers lit candles in memory of the fallen during the war. The performance of the 7th Symphony is timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Leningrad Victory and the 30th anniversary of the Kyrgyz Society of Leningrad Blockade Runners.

A ceremony was held at the memorial of military glory “Eternity” in Chisinau in honor of the Soviet soldiers who liberated Moldova from Nazism. “Over 27 million Soviet citizens of dozens of nationalities laid down their heads in this holy war. Today we pay tribute to the memory of the heroes who, through their sacrifice, gave us the opportunity to look to the future,” said Oleg Vasnetsov, Russian Ambassador to Moldova.

In the cities of the People’s Republic of China, Chengdu and Hebei Province, a flower-laying ceremony was held at the monument to Soviet soldiers. The event was attended by diplomats of the Russian Embassy in China, the office of the military attache, employees of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for the organization and conduct of military memorial work in China, the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing, as well as a delegation of the People’s Government of Chengdu and Russian compatriots. The participants of the ceremony laid flowers at the memorial, and honored the memory of the fallen with a minute of silence.

The memorial in Chengdu is dedicated to the fallen soldiers and officers of the Soviet-Mongolian cavalry mechanized group under the command of Colonel-General I.A. Pliev, who in August 1945 fought for the liberation of the Kalgan fortified area located on the outskirts of Chengdu.

A commemorative event dedicated to the Day of the Beginning of the Great Patriotic War was held at the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing. Its participants, among whom were citizens of Russia and China, honored the memory of all those who died in the Great Patriotic War with the action “Candle of Memory.” As part of the commemorative event, the Russian House opened a photo exhibition “Liberation of Europe” and a screening of the feature film “White Tiger” with subtitles in Chinese.

Events dedicated to the 82nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War were held in Dushanbe and other cities of Tajikistan. “Each of the republics of the Soviet Union made its unbearable contribution for the sake of victory,” said Shamil Shamsutdinov, Adviser-Envoy of the Russian Embassy, adding that the Great Victory is the basis of national pride of all republics. He recalled that from the first days after the declaration of war, the Tajiks went to the front - 300 thousand people. About 100 thousand did not return to their homeland. 45 thousand were mobilized for military enterprises. More than 50 thousand natives of the republic were awarded orders and medals, 65 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and 15 became full holders of the Order of Glory.

The memory of soldiers killed in the Great Patriotic War was honored in Yerevan’s Victory Park on the Day of Remembrance and Mourning. Representatives of the Embassies of Russia and Belarus, the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Armenia, the association of veterans of the country, and public organizations laid wreaths and flowers at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier. The participants honored the memory of the victims with a minute of silence. Armenian citizens and foreign tourists joined the wreath-laying ceremony. A ceremony of laying flowers at the Eternal Flame on the territory of the memorial complex “Mass Graves” with the participation of Ambassadors of the Commonwealth of Independent States took place in Tashkent.

During the war, more than 1.3 million Belarusians and natives of Belarus fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. The names of many of our compatriots have become legendary. The campaign “Memory Watch,” part of the patriotic campaign “Belarus remembers. The relay of memory,” has started. On June 22, commemorative and solemn events are held annually in Belarus with the participation of the President, senior officials, veterans, labor collectives, representatives of youth and public organizations, as well as guests from foreign countries.

Memorial events on the Day of Remembrance and Mourning were held in Serbia, where Russian diplomats and compatriots honored the memory of Soviet soldiers who fell for the liberation of Yugoslavia from Nazism. Representatives of the Embassy together with Russian compatriots laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and the monument to the Soviet soldier in the capital’s complex “Liberators of Belgrade.” The “Candle of Memory” campaign and the laying of wreaths at the Orthodox Russian cemetery, where more than 300 Red Army soldiers are buried.

In Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Ugra, residents went out to squares and memorials to lay red carnations and light candles as a sign of respect and sorrow for the departed heroes.

The city of labor valor Khanty-Mansiysk joined the action “Fiery pictures of war.” In Victory Park, in memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War, Victory volunteers, volunteers, guys from the Unarmia movement, youth movements, participants of the Special Military Operation, combat veterans, and caring citizens gathered together.

“We honored the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland with a minute of silence together with veterans, home front workers, and participants in a special military operation. Many citizens came with their children and families. This is important and the connection of times should not be broken. “No one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten,” and it will always be so,” Ruslan Kuharuk wrote on his social networks.