KUALA LUMPUR: Russia held the World War Two (WW2) Immortal Regiment march at the Russian House in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday and at the Russian Embassy in Malaysia today.
The Russian embassy in Malaysia in a statement said that on May 7, the procession of the Immortal Regiment was opened with a welcoming speech by Russia’s ambassador to Malaysia Naiyl Latypov, after which representatives of the Russian-speaking community of Malaysia marched with portraits of their heroes to the monument dedicated to the victory in the Great Patriotic War, laid flowers and took a photo as a keepsake.
Today, on Victory Day, the march of the Immortal Regiment takes place on the territory of the Russian Embassy.
The statement, made available to Bernama, said that this was preceded by a commemorative event with the participation of the heads and staff of the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Malaysia.
“The Immortal Regiment continues to consolidate the diaspora and remains a symbol of the memory of those who laid down their lives in the struggle against Nazism,“ the statement further said.
The Victory Day being celebrated in Russia today led by President Vladimir Putin is to commemorate those who fought and died during the WW2 or known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia. This year’s celebration marks the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
About 27 million Soviet citizens died in the WW2 which resulted in Soviet’s victory over Nazi Germany.
The Immortal Regiment march is an annual public event held in Russia and other parts of the world on Victory Day every May 9 since 2012.
According to the movement’s information, on May 9, 2019, the Immortal Regiment march was held in 3,700 Russian cities and populated areas and attended by over 10 million people. Immortal Regiment events were held in online format in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Traditionally, people who keep the memory of the heroes of their families march in the ranks of this procession - without division according to religious or political views. All of them are united by the common idea of glorifying the heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945,“ said the statement.
The statement said this year, the Immortal Regiment marches took place in 88 countries.-Bernama
