On May 8-9, solemn events dedicated to the 76th anniversary of the victory over fascism took place in Bratislava.
For the second year, Bratislava celebrates this day amid social restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite this, with the maximum observance of the requirements of sanitary and epidemiological safety standards, the Slavin military memorial complex turned into the main place for celebrating Victory Day for two days.
Memorial "Slavin" was erected on the site of the military cemetery of the liberators on April 3, 1960, and a year later it received the status of a National Monument. 6,845 Soviet soldiers are buried here. Throughout the years, high government officials, in particular, the country's presidents have come here annually to honor the memory of the victims. This year was no exception.
On May 8, the first persons of the country headed by the President of Slovakia Zuzana Chaputova and the Speaker of the Parliament of the Slovak Republic Boris Kollar came to honor the memory of the Soviet soldiers-liberators, who died during the liberation of Slovakia. They laid wreaths at the foot of the monument to the soldiers-liberators.
Then, on the night of May 9, at 02:00 am as part of the "Path of Heroic Fire" campaign, representatives of the Motorcyclists of Slovakia Association solemnly lit the Eternal Flame in front of the monument to the Soviet liberator soldier from a flask which was specially delivered from Moscow from the Eternal Flame at the Kremlin wall. The event was attended by the heads of the veteran organizations of Slovakia, the heads of diplomatic missions in the country - Ambassador of the Russian Federation Igor Bratchikov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan Roman Vasilenko, Charge d'Affaires of Belarus Denis Sidorov. Further, the path of the heroic fire will head to the Czech Republic. Members of the Tatra Military History Club and their partners will take it to 100 memorial sites dedicated to the heroes of the liberators.
On Sunday morning, May 9, before the solemn ceremony of laying wreaths to the soldiers-liberators, the Ambassadors of Russia and Kazakhstan addressed a speech to the large number of those presented at Slavin Memorial. The ambassadors expressed their respect for local veterans and stressed the importance of preserving the truth about the events of Great Patriotic War and World War II.
The event was attended by employees of the diplomatic corps of these countries, military attachés of Russia S. Solomasov and China Wang Fei, members of the European Foundation of Slavic Literature and Culture, the Russian Center in Bratislava, the Slovak Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters, representatives of the Slovak public, compatriots.
Particular attention was paid to veterans, children of the war, those who really survived the horrors of the war years.
At the end of the event, for the first time in the history of the Slavin military memorial complex, a grandiose Victory concert dedicated to the 76th anniversary of the Great Victory was held (https://youtu.be/JNwrmHkbgL4).
The most important holiday in Russia - Victory Day - always echoes with warmth and gratitude in the hearts of Slovaks.