Former Soviet countries celebrate 79th anniversary of Victory Day

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Former Soviet countries on Thursday celebrated the 79th anniversary of Victory Day, marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II in 1945, also known as the Great Patriotic War by some former Soviet states and also by Russia.

As part of traditional events surrounding Victory Day, the laying of wreaths at military memorials and a minute of silence took place at the local level.

The Russian capital Moscow’s Red Square also hosted a military parade attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and other heads of state of former Soviet republics, as well as the presidents of Cuba, Laos, and Guinea-Bissau.

In an address during the parade, Putin said Russia honors its ancestors who defended their homeland, accusing the West of attempting to "distort the truth" about World War II.

He further accused Western elites of inciting "more and more regional conflicts, interethnic and interreligious enmity, and restraining sovereign, independent centers of world development.”

“We reject claims of exclusivity by any state or alliance. We know what the exorbitance of such ambitions leads to,” Putin further said.

He also said Russia will do everything to prevent a global conflict, but that it will also not allow anyone to threaten it. "Our strategic forces are always in combat readiness," he said.

Putin also noted that the West would like to "forget the lessons" of World War II, and said the "fate of humanity was decided in grandiose battles near Moscow and Leningrad, Rzhev, Stalingrad, Kursk, and Kharkiv, near Minsk, Smolensk and Kyiv, in heavy, bloody battles from Murmansk to the Caucasus and Crimea."

Russia never belittled the importance of other fronts and the help of the allies during World War II, Putin stressed, expressing that they honor the courage of all its allies involved in the defeat of Nazi Germany, including the Chinese people, who he said fought for their independence against Japan.​​​​​​​

"Russia is now going through a difficult, transitional period. The fate of the Motherland, its future depends on each of us," he added.