The leaders of the North Caucasus regions, led by presidential envoy in the North Caucasus Federal District Sergey Melikov, have congratulated their citizens on the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory.
Sergei Melikov in his official address to the citizens said: "The Great Patriotic War ended 70 years ago. It has become the most severe and the most heroic page in the history of the Russian people. For 1418 days millions of our fellow citizens struggled towards a common Victory, sacrificing everything they had, including their life".
"For us now, it is necessary to guard and strengthen our social unity, given to us by the generation of victors in World War II. We should make every effort to defend the truth about the events of the war years," stressed Sergey Malikov.
The leader of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov noted that "the historic victory over Nazism was made possible thanks to the efforts and heroism of all the peoples of our multinational country". He was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti: "Alongside the fraternal peoples of Russia, the people of Dagestan also stood up to defend the homeland. From the very first days of the war, thousands of Dagestani volunteers expressed their readiness to fight against the treacherous enemy. More than 180 thousand people of Dagestan fought in the Great Patriotic War, showing examples of courage and heroism, every second person gave up their lives for the independence of our country".
The leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, pointed out that "on the battlefields of World War II, millions of our compatriots died a hero’s death, showing the wonders of courage, valour and bravery." He added: "They gave their lives for protection against the fascist threat to our Great power, Europe and the whole world. Today, we pay tribute to the memory and express respect to our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. It is our duty to cherish the truth about the events of those years, to commemorate all those who lost their lives and show constant care to all veterans".
The leader of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, pointed out: "Today our country celebrates a significant date - the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This commemoration combines both joy and sorrow, it fills our hearts with pride for the Russian people, who freed the world from fascism and defended the honour, freedom and independence of their country. The word "Victory" stands for courage and heroism of millions of Soviet soldiers, stressful and difficult work. For this great day, we have to thank our veterans, who defended the country in the most difficult years of the war".
"The Red Army and the Soviet people not only stopped and defeated the enemy, but also liberated the world from fascism. The plans of the Nazis were met with the heroism of Soviet soldiers, stiff resistance for every outpost, house, village and town. The whole country stood up against the enemy. It was everything for the battlefield, everything for victory"- recalled the head of North Ossetia, Teimuraz Mamsurov.
The head of Kabardino-Balkaria, Yuri Kokov noted that "this victory went down in history as the most important event of the 20th century". "When we look back, we aim to comprehend these events and draw the correct conclusions in order for the emergence of Nazism never to happen again".
The Governor of Stavropol Territory Vladimir Vladimirov said that "this sacred day is very important for each of us." "We hold the responsibility for our country and a future of peace which was won by our fathers and grandfathers".
