Tatarstan President: “We will always honour the heroic deed of our winners”

On May 8, at a solemn event dated to the 69th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War at M.Dzhalil Opera and Ballet Theatre, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov congratulated veterans on the holiday. Tatarstan State Counsellor Mintimer Shaimiev, Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov, Minister of counstruction Irek Faizullin, heads of municipalities and war veterans took part in the event.

 At the beginning of the solemn event, flags of Russia and Tatarstan, and the Banner of Victory were brought to the stage to the anthems of Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan. Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov addressed veterans with congratulatory speech:

 “Dear veterans and homefront workers, servicemen of Kazan garrison! I congratulate you on the 69th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War! Generations will always remember this heroic period in the history of our country. As we see events, which took place during Great Patriotic War, receding into the past, we realize the splendour of heroic deed of multi-national Soviet people.

 Dear veterans, you passed through such an ordeal, and in spite of all hardships you upheld our freedom and independence. The heroism you displayed in severe war times will always be our moral guide. Time cannot diminish memories about heroic deeds of our compatriots. We will always honour our winners, contend for truth about war, and clamp down on attempts to rewrite the history the 9th of May, the holiday “with tears in our eyes”. This day we remember those, who died for the sake of Victory. There is hardly any family in our republic that does not know about flames of that horrible war. More than 700, 000 Tatarstan citizens went to the front to defend their land. Half of them did not come back. I would like to honour the memory of the fallen by a minute’s silence.

Rustam Minnikhanov presented certificate to the Order of the Red Star given to Yakov Volkov missing in actions in war times. The award was presented to his daughter Anna Talapina. The certificate to the Order of Patriotic War of the 2nd degree was presented to Takiya Rashitova.