KUWAIT: The Russian Embassy hosted the anniversary reception for the 80th anniversary of the victory of World War II, which fell on May 9, 1945. The event was hosted by Russian Ambassador Vladimir Zheltov at the Russian Embassy accompanied by ambassadors of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
“It is with great pleasure that I express on behalf of my colleagues our sincere gratitude to all distinguished guests for joining us today in commemorating the Victory over Nazism,” ambassador Zheltov said during his speech.
“Eighty years have passed since the end of the Great Patriotic War — the term we use in Russia to describe the period of World War II from Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, until Germany’s defeat and capitulation on May 9, 1945,” he said. He noted that several post-war generations have since emerged. “For many people nowadays the events of that war are but a distant past. However, it left a deep mark in the historical memory of our nations,” he said.
Ambassador Zheltov stated that the Second World War broke out due to a combination of factors and prevailing trends in global politics at the time, including the fragile world order that had emerged after the First World War. “The Soviet people, having suffered heavy losses at the beginning, turned the tide of the war in the course of the epic,” he said.
He added that the Battle of Stalingrad (autumn of 1942 – winter of 1943) was a pivotal moment in history that changed the outcome of the conflict. “From then on, the Eastern Front was moving only westwards. After kicking out the invaders from its territory, the Red Army subsequently liberated half of Europe from fascism. In May 1945, the ideas of global domination were buried in Berlin,” he said.
Ambassador Zheltov reminded that the Soviet Union lost 27 million people during the war, the majority of whom were civilians who perished because of bombings, destruction, and acts of genocide under occupation and in Nazi death camps.
“It is our common duty to remember all those victims. That is the heavy price of Victory over fascism. And this is why Victory Day is a sacred date for Russians and other peoples of the former Soviet Union,” he said. “At the same time, we value the contribution of our allies who fought along with us to defeat Nazi Germany and its satellites – both in Europe and Asia,” he continued.
