Foreign Countries To Celebrate Soviet Union's Victory

On May 9 other countries of the world will celebrate the Soviet people's victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. RIA-NOVOSTI correspondents report: VILNIUS. On May 9 wreaths and flowers will be laid at local cemeteries containing the graves of Red Army soldiers, who were killed on Lithuanian territory during the Great Patriotic War. Russia's Ambassador to Lithuania Yury Zubakov, war veterans, as well as representatives of public organizations, are to lay wreaths and flowers at the Heroes' Monument in Vilnius this morning. A gala concert will also be organized tonight at the local Russian drama theater. The Russian Embassy's officials are to lay wreaths at military cemeteries in some other Lithuanian cities, as well. Diplomats from Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and some other countries will take part in the festivities. TALLINN. Russian diplomats, representatives of war-veteran organizations and the local public are to lay wreaths at the city's military cemetery and at a monument to Estonia's liberators. An obelisk marking the graves of 16,000 concentration-camp inmates was opened May 7 in a solemn setting in Estonia's Viljandi city. Talking to RIA-NOVOSTI, Russia's Ambassador in Tallinn Konstantin Provalov noted that local war veterans were quite happy and proud to receive personal congratulatory letters from President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation on the eve of VE-Day. In his words, those war veterans, who now live outside Russia, are touched by that caring attitude, sympathy and kind words. Russia hasn't forgotten them; and this is seen as the most important thing by them, the Ambassador added. Konstantin Provalov handed out gifts to war veterans May 8 at the Russian Embassy in commemoration of VE-Day. RIGA. Latvia stopped marking VE-Day as an official holiday 11 years ago; however, many Latvian citizens will be celebrating, nonetheless. Riga residents, as well as officials from Russian and Belarus embassies, are to lay wreaths at a local monument to those, who liberated Latvia from Nazi occupying forces, in line with a long-standing tradition. For its own part, the Socialist Party of Latvia is to stage a rally there at noon. The Russian Embassy will organize a gala concert at the house of congresses, also holding an official VE-Day reception. As distinct from previous years, war veterans won't be marching along Riga streets all the way to the monument to Latvia's liberators; nor will there be any fireworks display. PRAGUE. Wreaths are to be laid at a monument to Red Army soldiers, who died, while liberating Czechoslovakia from the Nazis, at the local Olshanski cemetery. Igor Savolsky, who serves as Russia's Ambassador to the Czech Republic, representatives of Ukrainian, Belarus and Kazakh embassies, as well as representatives of the Czech public at large, will attend that ceremony. A divine liturgy will take place at the city's Orthodox Assumption Cathedral. PARIS. Plans are in place to lay wreaths at a memorial in honor of Soviet citizens, who were killed, while fighting to liberate France from the Nazi yoke; that memorial is located at the local Pere La Chaise cemetery. After that, they are going to lay wreaths at the graves of those Soviet citizens, who fought in the French Resistance movement, and who are buried at a suburban military cemetery in Moyen-Saint-Martin. Representatives of the French Defense Ministry, French war-veteran organizations, as well as Russian Ambassador in Paris Nikolai Afanasyevsky, are to attend those ceremonies. All in all, nearly 6,000 Soviet citizens, who helped eject the Nazis from France and other European countries, are buried on French territory. On May 10 the secretary-general of the Free France foundation will be awarded the Russian Order of Friendship at Russia's Embassy in Paris. That award was bestowed on him for his great personal contribution to more profound friendship and cooperation between Russian and French war-veteran organizations. That WWII veteran is to receive his award, as well as the Russian President's decree, from Russian Ambassador Nikolai Afanasyevsky.