Moscow and Paris paid homage today to those fallen during WWII. The celebration to mark the defeat of fascism included public events and military ceremonies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier recalling those fallen during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), as part of the 69th anniversary of the triumph over fascism. Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, the rest of the cabinet’s ministers, Senate president Valentina Matvienko and Parliament president Serguei Narishkin accompanied him.
To mark the 69th anniversary of the triumph over fascism, the Russian leader proposed a law establishing a lifelong pension for the veterans of the Great Patriotic War who live in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
France is also celebrating today the 69th anniversary of the signing of the German army’s surrender to the allies, which officially ended WWII in Europe.
The initial agreement was reached on May 7, 1945, and was signed by Nazi General Alfred Jodl in a classroom in Reims.
One day later, in Berlin, Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel confirmed the German troops’ surrender, with the day marking the end of hostilities on the continent.
The German surrender will be remembered today in France with numerous events. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will lay a wreath at the Arc de Triomphe, where a military ceremony will also be hosted, headed by French head of State Francois Hollande, who will also pay homage to General Charles de Gaulle.
According to a number estimates, nearly 40 million people in Europe were killed during the war, of which at least 26 million were Russian. (PL)