Russian community honours World War II veterans

[Sirop14]

Russian community honours World War II veterans

10-May-2018
The Russian community living in Seychelles, yesterday morning took part in a remembrance victory march to honour their war veterans who fought in the Second World War.

The immortal regiment march, which took place at the Beau Vallon promenade forms part of other processions in Russia and in many other countries with Russian communities, to celebrate the victory of the Soviets over Nazi Germany which marked the end of the war in 1945. It is celebrated by the Russians on March 9, a day after the western countries celebrated the capitulation signing by Germany on March 8.

Led by the Russian Ambassador to Seychelles, Vladimir Belous, the procession started next to the Mahek Restaurant at the Coral Strand Hotel and those who took part paraded down the Beau Vallon promenade carrying Russian flags and portraits of relatives and friends who helped to forge the great victory in the Second World War, fighting the enemy on foreign and home ground. The march ended next to the La Plage restaurant where the participants gathered and interacted in a small gathering.

Speaking at the gathering, Ambassador Belous called on everyone to continue with the traditional commemoration of their fathers and grandfathers who fought for the victory. He urged them to do everything possible in their capacity to pass on the heroic memory to the future generation so that such horrors will never be repeated. A toast was raised in memory of those who fought in the war.

Nazi Germany invaded Russia on June 22, 1941 and till the end of the war in 1945, 27 million Russians died on the battle field and in concentration camps along with 48 million being wounded among which 4 million lost their legs and hands.

It is the second consecutive year that the immortal regiment march is held in Seychelles at the Beau Vallon promenade since the first march took place in 2012 in the Russian city of Tomsk before spreading to other Russian cities and other Russian communities across the world.

World War II, against the Nazi occupation which ended with the capitulation of Germany in 1945, was the deadliest military conflict in absolute terms of total casualties. Over 60 million people were killed, which was about 3% of the 1940 population, estimated at 2.3 billion.
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=258809