CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2023) A veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Pavel Gladkov, the only participant in the defense of Stalingrad now living in Moldova, turned 102 years old on Victory Day, former Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Tuesday.
"Pavel Vasilyevich has a double holiday today: Victory Day and his birthday. We heartily thanked Pavel Vasilyevich for his dedication, firmness, and courage shown during the Great Patriotic War. We wished him good health and good spirits," Dodon said on Telegram.
On the eve of Victory Day, Pavel Gladkov called on all residents of Moldova to take part in the celebrations on May 9.
Over the years of his service during the war, Gladkov received a large number of medals for his courage and heroism.
About 400,000 natives of Moldova fought in the Red Army during World War II. Nineteen soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from August 23, 1942, to February 2, 1943, and was a major battle on the Eastern Front where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully tried to gain control over the city of Stalingrad (Volgograd) in southern Russia. Stalingrad was strategically important to both sides as a major industrial and transportation hub on the Volga River.
The Battle of Stalingrad was the deadliest battle during World War II and became the turning point in the European theater of war, as it forced the German military command to withdraw considerable military forces from other areas in occupied Europe to replace losses on the Eastern Front.
