The wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to the Fallen Red Army Soldiers, the planting of trees in the newly opened and reconstructed Crveni Krst Memorial Park marked the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union in World War II. In memory of this date the Russian Center for Science and Culture Russian House in Belgrade, in cooperation with the City of Niš, organized a special program. Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko said that it was the obligation of today’s generations to remember the heroes and those who fell in the anti-fascist struggle and to pass those memories on to future generations. Speaking about the attempts to revise history he pointed out that the truth was one and that it was known who was guilty, who the aggressor was, and who was the winner. Those who died in the fight against the Nazis brought us peace and the opportunity to work, create and develop, and we showed generosity by reconciling Russians and Germans, he said in the presence of representatives of Russian organizations in Serbia, the City of Niš, associations that nurture friendship between two nations. He underlined that Russia and Serbia shared same memory and thanked the leadership of Serbia and the whole of Serbia, which, as he pointed out, cultivated a culture of memory.
Minister without portfolio in charge of innovations and technological development and president of the Immortal Regiment Foundation Nenad Popović said that Nazi Germany attacked Russia on June 22, 1941 and that it „broke the teeh of Russia. Russia and Serbia are the victorious countries in the Second World War, and we must not allow a revision of history,“ Popovic underlined. The President of the Assembly of the City of Niš Boban Džunić said that the Russian and Serbian people are connected by history, Orthodox faith and steel friendship.
After the ceremony the exhibition by Moscow Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 under the title “We Will Defeat the Enemy. The Victory Will Be Ours was opened. Letter of Gratitude to the City of Niš from Russian House for the support in organization was received by Deputy Mayor Dušica Davidović and individual letters of thanks were handed to the President of the City Assembly Boban Džunić as well as to the members of Niš City Council Nenad Stanković and Adriana Anastasov.
