(KZN.RU,
May 8). The solemn event, dedicated to the celebration of the 72nd anniversary
of the victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, took place today in the
building of the Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theater named after M.
Jalil. Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, Mintimer Shaimiev, the
State Counselor of the RT, Alexei Pesoshin, the Prime Minister of the RT, took
part in the ceremony. Also, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, members of the
Government of the RT, public organizations, as well as leaders of religious
communities in the region came to congratulate the front-line soldiers and
workers of the rear.
At the
beginning of the festive event, the National Flag of the Russian Federation,
the Victory Banner, and the National Flag of the Republic of Tatarstan were
brought to the scene.
“The
Victory Day is a great day in the history of our large multinational state. 72
years we live under a peaceful sky thanks to the combat and labor feat of our
compatriots. Events of the war years, bitterness, and sorrow will always live
in our memory and in our hearts. The price of freedom and independence is
enormous. Millions of Soviet people, hundreds of thousands of our fellow
countrymen gave their lives to Victory”, the President of Tatarstan noted in
his speech and urged those present to honor the memory of the heroes with a
minute of silence.
In his
speech, Rustam Minnikhanov said that 2 aviation and 7 rifle divisions, a tank
brigade, an antiaircraft artillery regiment, 86 aviation regiments, and more
than 6 thousand individual crews were formed on the territory of the republic
during the war years. Over 180 thousand Tatarstan residents underwent universal
military training. About 700 thousand natives of our republic participated in the
battles.
As Rustam
Minnikhanov reminded, thousands of women went to the front during the war,
mastered military professions, worked as nurses of mercy. “Our famous
compatriots, pilots Olga Sanfirova and Maguba Syrtlanova, were awarded the
title of Hero of the Soviet Union”, he marked.
The
President of the RT expressed special gratitude to those who worked hard around
the clock in factories and collective farm fields, design offices, hospitals,
schools and concert venues. “In those years, the republic became the
military-industrial center of the country. We supplied combat equipment,
bombers, gunpowder, and charges to the front. The farms of Tatarstan gave the
country millions of tons of food. More than 50 hospitals were opened in the
republic. 334 thousand soldiers and officers passed through the hands of our
doctors and nurses. Most of them once again went into operation”, said the
President of Tatarstan.
Rustam
Minnikhanov noted that the Great Patriotic War demanded courage, fortitude and
at the same time gave many examples of perseverance and heroism. “The war left
many without families, crippled the souls of people, deprived young country's
people of their childhood and forever changed their lives. Children helped
adults from the first days of the war, built combat fortifications, collected
gas masks, made fuses, hand grenades, and worked on the roads instead of
fathers and older brothers. The girls sewed linens and tunics, knitted warm
clothes, and helped the wounded in hospitals. Many went to the front to fight
on equal terms with adults. They are children brought up by work and real
valor. Their feat is priceless”, said the President of the RT.
Rustam
Minnikhanov reminded that during the war about three hundred Tatarstan
residents were awarded the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union and became full
knights of the Order of Glory. Over 200 thousand were awarded military orders
and medals.
“Unfortunately,
time is inexorable. There are few those with us who are the living embodiment
of the Great Victory. The more important it becomes for us to implement all
that the generation of winners dreamed of. Dear veterans! We bow before you! I
wholeheartedly congratulate you on the Great Victory Day and wish you good
health, warmth, and a peaceful sky!”, added the President of Tatarstan.
Further, Rustam Minnikhanov presented certificates for state awards of the
USSR.
Boris
Kuznetsov, the Hero of the Soviet Union, made a welcome greeting on behalf of
war veterans and workers of the rear. He noted that it is a great happiness to
celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi troops: “I voluntarily
went to the front as a boy at the age of 16, and my fighting in the years of
the Great Patriotic War began from these days”. The veteran bitterly noted that
our country lost 27 million human lives during the war years. “Today we
celebrate and rejoice that we, veterans, are in the ranks today and are making
the Great Victory of our people”, said the Hero of the Soviet Union and
congratulated all veterans on the Great Victory.
At the end
of the ceremony, the National Flag of the Russian Federation, the Victory
Banner, and the National Flag of the Republic of Tatarstan have been solemnly
carried off the stage. The event was continued by a concert program, compiled on
the basis of letters from the war years, reports the press service of the
President of the RT.