Reception to mark Victory Day
An official
reception to mark the 71st anniversary
of Victory in the 1941–1945 Great Patriotic War took place
at the Kremlin.
May 9, 2016
12:25
The Kremlin, Moscow
President
of Russia Vladimir Putin: Veterans, colleagues, friends, guests,
It is a great
pleasure to welcome you and congratulate you on this sacred
occasion. Today we feel with particular intensity the grandeur
and sincerity of this date, its deep sorrow and its tremendous
unifying strength.
The defeat
of Nazism will never be simply just history for us. It is
the great achievement of all generations, present and future.
This Victory embodies the very best, the most worthy and heroic
features of our people’s spirit. It represents our pride and our
readiness to defend this country’s interests. It is a stern warning
to all who would consider challenging us.
Our people
accomplished the immortal feat of saving their homeland. We will
always remember that it was the Soviet people that vanquished Nazism
and achieved the grandiose and triumphant Victory.
We know that
a war turns into a patriotic war when people stand shoulder
to shoulder in defence of their homeland. This was the case
in that heroic and tragic year of 1941, when the Soviet
Union’s multi-ethnic people rose as one to fight the enemy.
Yesterday evening,
I had the pleasure of presenting newspapers from that time
to President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is
here today. Those newspapers spoke of the Kazakh people’s feats
and contribution to the Great Patriotic War. Let us welcome our
guest today. Thank you very much, Mr Nazarbayev, for being with us today.
Our people
accomplished the immortal feat of saving their homeland. We will
always remember that it was the Soviet people that vanquished Nazism
and achieved the grandiose and triumphant Victory.
You,
the veterans, traversed the roads of war with honour, fought
bravely on all fields and heights, took part in the biggest
battles and each contributed to Victory. You were all fighting
for our homeland, on the frontlines
and on the home front, the elderly
and the children. Everyone went through great hardships
and suffered terrible losses, and everyone followed the laws
of courage, steadfastness, friendship, and selfless love
for one’s country.
This Victory
embodies the very best, the most worthy and heroic features
of our people’s spirit. It represents our pride and our readiness
to defend this country’s interests. It is a stern warning to all
who would consider challenging us.
You, our dear
veterans, have retained these lofty moral qualities and your sense
of personal responsibility for this country throughout your lives.
The war forged your character and Victory inspired you to new
achievements. You rebuilt plants and factories in the shortest
time, revived and developed our agriculture and took culture, science
and technology to new heights.
Your acts
and achievements, your ability to value life and cherish
friendship and the family home and hearth will always be
an example for us. Your destiny incarnates in full measure
the true grandeur of an entire people’s great feat,
the achievement we speak of in firm and simple terms: “We
knew what we were fighting for and dying for. We fought for our
Motherland!”
Let me raise
a toast to the outstanding generation of victors!
To Russia! To our Great Victory!
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