Former Soviet states to combine for Great Patriotic War celebrations

MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Former Soviet countries in the regional Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will jointly celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War next year, as the four-year battle between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany is known. Events will unfold at multiple locations across all CIS states, said Anatoly Iksanov, executive director of the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Co-operation Fund, planning the celebrations. Starting from April 28, ahead of Russian Victory Day celebrated on May 9, Moscow’s Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, located in Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill, will host a special exhibition and forum assembling conflict veterans living in CIS countries. There are also plans for scientific councils involving young historians in seeking a common and impartial position on the outcome of the war. “The new generation should assess the situation correctly and it is necessary to use various forms of patriotic education,” Iksanov told TASS. Established in 2006, the co-operation fund comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova. It finances projects in education, science, culture, sports, tourism and youth affairs. Read more