For
the Russian president, like for an absolute majority of Russians, the Great
Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is a part of his family’s history.
MOSCOW, May
9. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the ‘Immortal
Regiment’ march in Moscow to commemorate those who fought or died in the Soviet
Union’s Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany in 1941-1945.
Putin took
part in the 'Immortal Regiment' march for the third time.
For Putin, like for an absolute majority of Russians, the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is a part of his family’s history.
As Putin
used to recall, his father, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, went immediately to
the front after the war broke out where he fought and was heavily wounded near
blockaded Leningrad.
The head of
the Russian state also frequently recalls his mother, Maria Ivanovna, who lived
through the Leningrad blockade, and his senior brother who died from diphtheria
in 1942. Vladimir Putin was born seven years after the Victory.
The
Immortal Regiment public event was first held in the Siberian city of Tomsk in
2012. In 2013, it was already held in 120 cities, and in 2014, in 500 cities
and towns in seven countries. The action officially became all-Russian since
2015.
According
to official data, about 27 million Soviet citizens, including both civilians
and servicemen, died in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany in
1941-1945.
Source: ITAR-TASS 10-05-2017
