Congratulations of Ambassador of Russia in Canada Oleg Stepanov on Victory Day

Dear veterans, compatriots, descendants of generation of victors!

Let me cordially congratulate you on a holiday that is sacred for all of us – the Great Victory Day.

We will always remember the cost of this Victory. The war claimed 27 million lives of our Motherland’s citizens: officers and soldiers, elderly, women and children. The anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi Germany is a reminder that it is still Russia’s duty, as a successor of the Soviet Union, to safeguard peace, preventing both the rise of neo-Nazism and a revision of the outcomes of the World War II.

We cherish the memory of the heroism, courage and endurance of the defenders of the Brest Fortress, the heroes of Moscow, Stalingrad, the Kursk Bulge, Leningrad, the Caucasus, Kiev and Odessa. We remember the soldiers of the Red Army, who liberated our country and Europe. Those, who saved millions of people of different nationalities from extermination. Those, who ensured our peaceful and secure future.

We remember the workers on the home front, who demonstrated selfless service in providing support to the front line. We express our words of recognition to the wives and mothers forging the Victory along with their husbands and fathers. And to the children who survived famine and evacuation, worked at factories replacing the adults who went to the frontlines.

The lessons of the past should not be forgotten.

In 1945, when in Berlin the Red Army put an end to the Nazi plague, our anti-Hitler coalition allies were standing by our side. Today we also pay tribute to their contribution here, in Canada. This country’s sons and daughters fought to liberate peoples of Europe, participated in the famous Arctic Convoys and shared with us the joy of the Victory.

Let me wish you all sound health, peace and prosperity.

Happy Victory Day!