Over 10 million people across Russia participated on Thursday in the Immortal Regiment march, an initiative which commemorates millions of people who fought against Nazi Germany during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the Russian Interior Ministry's spokeswoman, Irina Volk said
MOSCOW/ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2019) Over 10 million people across Russia participated on Thursday in the Immortal Regiment march, an initiative which commemorates millions of people who fought against Nazi Germany during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the Russian Interior Ministry's spokeswoman, Irina Volk said.During the Immortal Regiment march, people are walking throughout their cities' streets holding portraits of their relatives who fought in the devastating war.
"There were 3,700 events across Russia that were part of the Immortal Regiment initiative. Over 10 million people participated in the patriotic campaign," Volk said.
In St. Petersburg alone, over 1 million people took part in the commemorative march, according to the city's administration.
"St. Petersburg natives, guests from different parts of [Russia] and from former Soviet republics over 1 million people came out to Nevsky Prospect. The Immortal Regiment [campaign] will continue to be immortal as long as our children and grandchildren remember those who gave us victory," Acting Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov said.
The campaign, which started in 2012, has now become an international event. This year, in Riga, Latvia a record level of 20,000 people marched in the campaign, according to local officials. In London, at least 1,500 marched.
This year, Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in the march for the fifth consecutive year.
"To remember this triumph, to feel the unbreakable connections with those people who won the war, it means a lot," Putin told Rossiya 24 broadcaster after the march.
The Great Patriotic War, which spanned from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945, claimed the lives of some 27 million people from Russia and other former Soviet republics. The war was fought along the Eastern Front of World War II between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany and its allies.
