Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent congratulatory messages on the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and the people of Georgia, the Kremlin website reported.
Similar messages were also sent to the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia, as well as to the people of Moldova.
"The Russian President emphasized that on this day we pay tribute to our gratitude and respect to our parents and grandparents - who fought shoulder to shoulder on the frontlines and contributed tirelessly to the war effort from afar; their sacrifices and hardships paved the way for the eventual victory over Nazi invaders",
the statement reads.
Putin expressed heartfelt congratulations and sincere gratitude to veterans and home front workers, wishing them good health, resilience, and long life.
In his addresses to the people of Georgia and Moldova, the Russian leader called on them to honor the memory of the war years and pass on to new generations the traditions of friendship and mutual assistance that unite our peoples.
