Hey, hey, hey.
Citizens of Russia, veterans, comrade soldiers and sailors, sergeants and sergeant majors, midshipmen and warrant officers, comrade officers, generals and admirals, soldiers and commanders, participants in the special military operation. Guests, I congratulate you on the Victory Day on our holy, sacred, and most important holiday. We celebrate it with a sense of pride and love for our country, with understanding of our common duty to defend the interests and the future of our motherland.
We mark it with the gratitude of true sons of the great generation of victories. We honor the legacy left by the soldiers of victory. The care of the fatherland unites our entire country, the people of Russia, and preserving the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War, of its true history, of its true heroes is a matter of honor for us. We will always remember the heroic deeds of the Soviet people because Soviet people made the decisive contribution to defeating Nazism. The Soviet people saved their country and saved the world. They put an end to the total evil and brought sovereignty to those states that surrendered to Nazi Germany and turned into accomplices of its crimes.
Our soldiers suffered huge losses, made huge sacrifices in the name of freedom and dignity of the peoples of Europe. It has become a model of heroism and courage, of fortitude and humanity, and it brought to the Soviet people the great honor of the great victory. Friends, June 22nd of 1941 is one of the most tragic days of our history. This year we are going to mark the 85th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
The Nazi soldiers attacked the Soviet Union. They had planned to seize the country, to seize its wealth, to destroy its culture, its historic legacy, and to destroy and enslave and commit genocide of the multiethnic Soviet people, of all the Soviet peoples, of all the ethnic groups of the Soviet Union. And to implement these criminal plans, they gathered forces throughout Europe.
Seemingly, the Nazi strategists took everything into consideration, but one thing: what we call Russian character and the strength of the spirit and of the will of the Soviet people. And these qualities are manifested in the most challenging times for the motherland. Our people stood its ground in front of the enemy and they proved that being faithful to one's motherland is the highest degree of righteousness that can bring people together.
We remember heroic deeds of the soldiers, of the sailors, of the partisans, of the underground movement and resistance fighters, of the efforts by the home front, by the efforts of the farmers, because the front lines and the home front stood together through true patriotism, true sacrifice of the people brought it above the enemy. It made it stronger and made the faith in the ultimate victory stronger as well. And we had this victory. We won this victory. And every family remembers this. And this memory is in the hearts of our children, of our grandchildren.
And we bow down to those who fell during those battles, those who were killed in occupation or in camps, who were killed in besieged Leningrad and other cities and towns. We bow down to everyone who gave their life for the motherland, for Russia. We bow down to the sons and daughters, to the fathers and mothers, to the grandfathers, great-grandfathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, close ones, and friends.
Let us now observe a moment of silence.
Friends, the great heroic deeds of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers who are fulfilling the missions of the special military operation. And they stand against an aggressive force that is being armed by the entire NATO bloc. And in spite of this, our heroes continue to move forward. Next to our soldiers, there are workers, engineers, scientists, inventors. They continue the traditions of those who came before them. They create advanced, unique weapons and they launch their production in mass.
But no matter how the weapons are changing, how the tactics are changing, one thing remains unchanged: the fate of the country is decided by its citizens, by the soldiers, by the workers, by the farmers, by the weapon makers, by the conflict correspondents, by doctors and by teachers, by artists and by priests, volunteers, entrepreneurs, all the citizens of Russia.
And our success is in our moral strength, in our courage, in our unity, in our ability to withstand everything, to overcome any challenges. We share one common destiny and everyone makes their personal contribution to the victory which is gained both at the front lines and at the home front. I believe that our cause is just. We stand together. The victory has always been and will always be ours. Glory to the victorious nation. Glory to the veterans. Glory to the armed forces of Russia. Happy holiday. Happy Victory Day. Hurrah!
