Nine-day fest marking 80th anniversary of Soviet victory in Second World War gets under way in Thiruvananthapuram

Concert by performers from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory held as part of the Victory festival in Thiruvananthapuram.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A nine-day festival marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in Second World War is under way in the city.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies G.R. Anil inaugurated the festival recently. Titled Pobeda (Victory), the event is being jointly organised by the Honorary Consulate of Russia, the Russian House, with the support of the Russkiy Mir Foundation and the Indian centre of the Russian Geographical Society.

Mr. Anil noted that the war in Europe ended with the victory of the Soviet Union. “However, in the fight against Nazi-Fascist forces, the Soviet Union lost 27 million citizens, including hundreds of thousands of children and women. At that time, there was not a single family in Russia that did not lose at least one member in the war,” he said.

Valerii Kodzhaev, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Chennai, said Victory Day is widely celebrated in Russia and around the world as it not only commemorates the past, but reinforces a commitment to the values of peace, unity and resilience in the face of challenges.

Senior Congress leader and former Defence Minister A.K. Antony handed over the festival logo to the organisers. Former State Police Chief Jacob Punnoose, the Honorary Consul of Russia and Director of the Russian House in Thiruvananthapuram, Ratheesh Nair, also spoke.

A range of exhibitions and seminars will be held as part of the festival which is on till May 8.